Denmark won after a fierce overtime battle with Sweden and advanced to the final of the 25th World Men’s Junior Handball Championship (U21).
Denmark defeated Sweden 40-37 (18-19, 36-36 regular time) in the semifinals of the tournament at GKS Katowice in Katowice, Poland, on the 27th (local time).
Denmark will then face Portugal, who defeated the Faroe Islands in the final, for the championship. Sweden, on the other hand, will compete with the Faroe Islands for the bronze medal in the 3rd and 4th place matches.
사진 확대 Photo by the 25th World Men’s Junior Handball Championship Semi-final match between Denmark and Sweden, photo source = International Handball Federation
Both teams had a fierce battle from the beginning, as if they were at risk of advancing to the finals. Sweden showed a sharp attack from the beginning with a 90% attack success rate, and led the atmosphere by leading 9-7 until the 14th minute of the first half.
Denmark was also tough. Nikolaj Larsen, Anton Houe and Morten Dahlgaard each scored three goals, and the two teams continued their tight flow by giving and receiving three goals each. However, Sweden edged ahead 19-18 at the end of the first half.
Denmark turned the mood around in the second half with the thickness of its players. By the 36th minute of the game, 12 of the 14 field players had scored, taking advantage of various offensive routes, turning the game around 26-24.
Sweden, however, did not easily back down. Goalkeeper Arvid Skoog continued his decisive save to prevent the crisis several times, and from the 45th to 53rd minutes, he scored five goals and gave up only one goal, leading again 32-31 to fight back.
In the end, just before the end of regular time, Denmark’s last shot went to nothing, and the game ended 36-36 and went into extra time.
With only one goal recorded in the first five minutes of extra time, Denmark showed a level of concentration in the second half of extra time. Denmark, which scored three goals in a row based on solid defense and organized attack, eventually finished the game 40-37 to seal its place in the final.
The victory marked Denmark’s 10th career final and once again proved its reputation as the ‘junior handball powerhouse’ with three wins and a total of 12 medals. In the final, he will take on Portugal, which has reached the final for the first time ever, and try to win for the fourth time.
Sweden sought to advance to the final for the first time since 2013, but unfortunately failed to achieve its goal, and will play its last match against the Faroe Islands, which made a surprise splash in the third-place match.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]