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Denmark through to main round after easy win over DR Congo

17 Jan. 2021

Denmark through to main round after easy win over DR Congo

Defending champions Denmark became the second team from Group D to secure a main round spot after comfortably defeating DR Congo by 20 goals. 

For the African team, it was the second straight defeat, yet they can also advance to the main stage in case they beat Bahrain on Tuesday. 

GROUP D
DR Congo vs Denmark 19:39 (10:23)

Steeven Corneil, the 25-year-old left wing from Angers SCC, was a Congolese hero in the opening minutes of the game, as his two goals put the African team to a 1:0 and later a 2:1 lead.

However, the title holders woke up soon, and even though key players like Mikkel Hansen and Niklas Landin were rested, Denmark started to play fast and fully dominated on the court.

Switching between 6-0 and 5-1, their defence did a good job, while Jacob Holm and Johan Hansen were unstoppable in attack, scoring one goal after another.

“I am very satisfied with the team’s performance. We wanted to play fast and challenge Congo with a lot of speed, and we did it,” said Danish coach Nikolaj Jacobsen. 

13 minutes into the match, the European team already enjoyed a seven-goal advantage (12:5), and they continued in the same way to score as many as 23 goals before the break.

Eight of them were recorded by Johan Hansen, the 26-year-old right wing from TSV Hannover-Burgdorf who is playing his second World Championship after winning the title in 2019.

With the game practically decided, the Danes slowed down for a while after the break, netting only six times in 12 minutes to move the score to 29:14.

The Congolese did not drop their heads and continued to fight, but it was difficult for them to challenge the reigning world and Olympic champions. 

“Denmark scored a lot from breaks, and it wasn’t easy to play for a goalkeeper. We fought for sixty minutes, but it wasn’t our day,” said the Congolese goalkeeper Junior Lucau. 

And although Danish coach Nikolaj Jacobsen rotated his players, the likes of Anders Zachariassen and Lasse Svan Hansen also did their job well after the break, while the young goalkeeper Emil Nielsen recorded 13 saves throughout the entire game. 

Late in the match, the big question was whether Denmark would hit the 40-goal mark – and although Zachariassen missed a chance in their last attack, the 39:19 final score also looked quite impressive.

hummel Player of the Match: Emil Nielsen, Denmark