Sandra Toft’s last-gasp save was all that separated us from a result that would have added a twist to the tale of group A in the women’s competition at Paris 2024. Denmark almost let a five-goal lead slip from their grasp but held strong to emerge with the points.
The clashes between Denmark and Germany in women’s handball always intrigue me. They face each other often and the games never seem to follow the script.
Take, for example, the 32:16 win for Denmark at the 2021 World Championship, completely out of nowhere. Two years earlier, Germany picked up a surprise win in Japan. Something about these teams brings out an added element in each other, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst.
Add in the context of a first Olympics for both current generations and us neutrals were in for a strange treat.
Germany needed a win if they wanted to take a big step toward the quarter-finals and harbour hopes of avoiding France in said game. They began with intent and took an early advantage through Xenia Smits, only to suddenly switch off.
Denmark enjoyed a 9:2 run in the second quarter but it still wasn’t enough to put Germany away. The right-sided duo of Jenny Behrend and Julia Maidhof lit up the start of the second half and put their side ahead. There was hope, for one whole minute.
A raft of two-minute suspensions midway through the second half left Germany exposed, their ill-discipline was something Denmark were ready to take full advantage of. Another pounding of a 7:1 run in the space of eight minutes put the Danes up by five and the current crop are a little too mentally strong to let that lead slip.
That mental strength is one big difference between the teams these days, another is the fluidity and creativity of the back courts. Germany fell stuck in a system that won’t allow them to flourish, Denmark’s insistence on allowing players to express themselves has rarely looked better than at times today.
After all that, the result leaves both sides exactly where they were at the start of the day. Denmark locked in a three-way tie at the top, which sees them finish third if nothing surprising happens on Saturday, Germany are locked in a three-way tie at the bottom, which sees them crawl into the quarter-finals if nothing surprising happens on Saturday.