The German handball national team lost 26:31 to host Denmark in the 2026 EM main round, missing their first matchball for the semifinals. A draw would have sufficed, but after a balanced first half, the Danes pulled away. The semifinal entry now depends on the match against France on Wednesday.
In the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, the German handballers offered resistance to world champions Denmark for a long time. The game was level until the 35th minute (13:13), but then stars like Mathias Gidsel and Simon Pytlick capitalized on a double advantage and pulled away with a 6:1 run to 23:16. Renārs Uščins scored six goals for Germany, while Danish goalkeeper Emil Nielsen was named "Player of the Match" with 14 saves.
Surprisingly, head coach Alfred Gíslason started with David Späth in goal instead of Andreas Wolff, who was only substituted in the closing phase. Wingers Lukas Zerbe and Lukas Mertens sat on the bench due to muscle tightness; instead, Matthes Langhoff and Mathis Häseler played. Gíslason explained: "That was agreed. Andi wasn't good against the Danes last time, and we wanted to distribute the load." The German defense performed strongly but faltered in the second half against Nielsen.
Captain Johannes Golla said: "It's naturally not the end of the world that we lose to Denmark here. We could have looked better with a few fewer errors." Juri Knorr looked ahead: "We will be ready. We still have a chance." Thanks to Spain's 32:36 win over France, a draw against the defending champions on Wednesday suffices for the preliminary round. The top-six spot is already secure. Denmark remains at the top of Group I and is qualified for the semifinals.
