Wild triumph against Denmark
Battle of nerves in the final: France are European champions
January 28, 2024, 7:41 p.m
Olympic champion France wins the title at the European Handball Championships. The team around superstar Nikola Karabatic defeated world champions Denmark in the final after extra time. For backcourt player Karabatic, it is the crowning achievement in the final year of his career.
Europe’s handball kings are coming from France for the first time in ten years. After a battle of nerves in the European Championship final, the Olympic champion prevailed against world champions Denmark 33:31 (27:27, 14:14) after extra time and completed his fourth triumph in the continental competition after 2006, 2010 and 2014. Bronze went to defending champion Sweden in front of 19,750 spectators in Cologne, who ended Germany’s dreams of winning their first precious metal at a major tournament since Olympic bronze in 2016 with a score of 34:31.
The best thrower for the Équipe Tricolore, which is now the top favorite for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in their own country this summer, was Ludovic Fabregas with eight goals. For the Scandinavians, who were supported by Queen Mary, Mikkel Hansen was the most successful with nine goals. The Northern Europeans won against Germany in the semi-finals.
France, which had beaten the DHB selection in the preliminary round, was the only team to remain undefeated throughout the entire tournament. For the three-time world handball player Nikola Karabatic, the success is a crowning achievement on the European stage. The 39-year-old, who will end his career in the summer, celebrated his fourth European Championship title. Three Olympic gold medals and four World Cup triumphs complete his trophy collection.
Dane keeper Nielsen shines
Both teams fully embraced the fight for the gold medal from the start and impressively demonstrated with remarkable individual actions that they had earned a place in the final. The French seemed more alert and took advantage of the northern Europeans’ technical errors to pull away to 6-4. The fact that successful coach Guillaume Gille’s national team was unable to extend its lead was due to Denmark’s life insurance company Emil Nielsen. The 26-year-old, who the DHB professionals had already despaired of in the semi-finals, parried 7 of the opponent’s 13 throws in the opening quarter of an hour alone.
Spurred on by the performance of their keeper and the cheers of the predominantly Scandinavian fans, the Danes increased their attack – and pulled away to 9:6. In contrast to Nielsen, France’s goalkeeper Samir Bellahcene from record champions THW Kiel got off to a disastrous start and didn’t save a shot in the first 17 minutes. As a result, a dynamic and highly exciting game developed on the floor in which neither team was able to gain a decisive lead before halftime. The momentum changed almost every minute and there were many signs pointing to an extension.
Coach Nikolaj Jacobsen’s team got off to a much better start in the second 30 minutes and were now much more variable in attack. The Danes kept looking for target player Gidsel, who seemed to bust around in every position and put his team in the lead with 17:14. At the back, Nielsen continued to hold strong in goal. But France came back again. Both teams continued to fight extremely intensely and the fight for the gold medal remained open until the end. In extra time, the French had the better nerve and secured the European crown.