Germany secured their sixth semi-finals berth in the last nine editions of the IHF Men's Junior World Championship with a dominating display against Denmark, riding a strong start until the end of the game to clinch a 31:26 win and set up a crunch clash with Serbia on Saturday.
 
Quarter-final 4

• Germany vs Denmark 31:26 (17:11)

 
Virtually every Germany game against a strong opponent at the 2023 IHF Men's Junior World Championship had the same scenario: the co-hosts took a significant lead, only for them to falter in the dying minutes and save a win by the skin of their teeth.
 
The start could not have been different in a packed Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, where Germany enjoyed a lively start against Denmark, shutting down the opponent in the first three minutes and 34 seconds to build up a 3:0 lead.
 
In attack, Germany relied on a pair of left handers in superb form in captain Renars Uscins and Nils Lichtlein, who combined for eight goals to keep the attack going at full steam, with the latter especially in fine form, adding three assists to his goal tally and being virtually unstoppable.
 
But the six-goal gap at the break (17:11) was primarily due to some excellent saves from goalkeeper David Späth, who had a 36% saving efficiency after the first half, stopping seven shots. Still, two of those were penalties and another two came in one-on-one situations, crucial moments which shaped the match's outcome. 
 
Yet despite the dominating display showcased in the first half and even at the start of the second half, when the six-goal gap was still maintained, Germany still had their usual dip as the game progressed. 
 
Späth continued to deliver save after save to finish with 11 shots stopped and a 30% saving efficiency. Still, Germany's attack became more and more predictable, with their efficiency dropping from 65% in the first half after Denmark changed between the posts. Mathias René Rex Dorgelo displayed a 50% saving efficiency in the first 23 minutes of the second half.
 
The crucial moment came in the 54th minute, when Denmark could have cut the gap to three goals, only to concede a goal after their miss, much to the excitement of the 3,734 fans who came to support Germany in the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin.
 
Germany eventually proved unstoppable, sealing a 31:26 win, which saw them secure the sixth semi-finals berth in the last nine editions of the IHF Men's Junior World Championship, with their sixth win in a row at Germany/Greece 2023, the last three of these wins coming against European opponents – Croatia, France and Denmark.
 
That will surely boost Germany's morale ahead of the semi-final scheduled on Saturday against Serbia, with the co-hosts winning only three of those previous six semi-finals and losing the last two. In the other semi-final, Hungary will play Iceland.
 
hummel Player of the Match: Nils Lichtlein (Germany)