Record-breaking Denmark sail to fourth consecutive final with momentuous win over Portugal

31 Jan. 2025

Record-breaking Denmark sail to fourth consecutive final with momentuous win over Portugal

Denmark produced yet another flawless performance to secure their fourth consecutive berth for the final of the IHF Men’s World Championship, with their eighth win in a row at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, 40:27, in the semi-final against Portugal.

The reigning champions will face Croatia in the last match of the 29th edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship on Sunday, at 18:00 CET, having the chance to become the first team in history to win the title four times in a row.

SEMI-FINAL
Denmark vs Portugal 40:27 (20:16)

Five finals in seven editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship. It’s something difficult to achieve by any team. In any era. But make it six times in the last act in eight consecutive editions? That is really special.

And Denmark just made it, playing the part of a favourite to perfection at this edition of the world handball flagship competition. Eight wins in eight matches. A fantastic attack, which scores over 34 goals per match. A defence led probably by the All-Star goalkeeper of the competition, Emil Nielsen. And a coach who exploits the weaknesses of the opposing defence to perfection.

But this was not a walk in the park for Denmark, which just extended their record unbeaten streak at the IHF Men’s World Championship to 36 matches – 34 wins and two draws. And, consequently, became the first team in history to qualify for four consecutive finals of the competition.

Can they be stopped? Well, Portugal did at least try their mightiest. Yet this was not the best start for Paulo Pereira’s side, which saw three players suspended in quick succession in the start of the match, playing with only four players on the court for more than a minute.

Denmark took advantage and opened a 6:2 lead in the start of the match, pummelling the Portugal defence with a pacy rhythm and fast throw-offs, as their opponents struggled to stop the reigning world and Olympic champions, choosing to make three substitutions between the attack and the defence. 

What worked for Portugal was their connection with the line player, be it Luis Frade or Victor Iturriza, as well as Martim Costa becoming more a playmaker than a finisher, dishing three assists and scoring only once.

By the 22nd minute, Portugal had cut the gap to a single goal, 13:12, forcing Nikolaj Jacobsen to take a team time-out, trying to avoid any possible challenge. And when Francisco Costa was forced into turnovers, it really hurt Portugal, which needed everything from their main stars to just stay in the match.

Was Portugal going to be tough enough to withstand the pressure in the second half? Is any team strong enough to do this in the world right now? The answer is probably not. Surely not, in Portugal’s case.

After scoring only three goals in the first half, Gidsel erupted in the second part, scoring three goals in the first six minutes. Then he added another three, to finish with nine goals in his tally, improving his overall one to 64 goals, being virtually impossible to stop in the top goal scorer standings.

And then was one of Denmark’s veterans, Rasmus Lauge, delivering a fantastic match himself, with eight goals from eight shots, which fueled Denmark’s rampage in the second half. First, there were eight goals. Then ten. And by the 55th minute, Portugal had a 14-goal lead, 39:25.

Eventually, Denmark secured a 40:27 win, the largest in history for a semi-final of the IHF Men’s World Championship, as well as scoring the largest number of goals in a single semi-final, beating the previous record held by Croatia in 2003, when Denmark’s rivals in this final needed extra-time to hit 39 goals.

Now, a date with history awaits for Denmark. The Scandinavian side needs a win against Croatia, in a battle of two co-hosts of the competition, to secure their fourth consecutive title in the competition. Portugal will now feature in the bronze medal match against France, with the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship finishing on Sunday, in the Unity Arena in Baerum.

hummel Player of the Match: Emil Nielsen (Denmark)