The succession in Scandinavia is yet to happen. Denmark has many apparent qualities of a credible challenger, but Norway still rules. The tough derby duel in Euro 2024 was decided by over shots and brilliant goalkeeper, Norway won 27–24.
Denmark has had eight attempt to beat Norway in the last year but the top team seems keen to keep the throne position. Except for a period in the first half it was Norway´s game by a small margin in Vienna.
Henny Reistad and Kristine Breistøl provided power shots for the winning team while Andrea Aagot shone from the right wing for Denmark.
In general, Denmark had a hard time to get the ball in the net behind Silje Solberg-Østhassel after the break. Norway finished the game in solid fashion and currently stands first in line for a semifinal spot.
– We maybe did not have as much flow as we normally have, but of course, we were a bit prepared for that when it’s against Denmark, because they know us really well and they are always prepared for the first pressure in our attack, Henny Reistad said to eurohandball.com.
There were no real surprises among the six Thursday games. Romania got France out of balance for 50 minutes until the world champion improved both defense and attacks for 30–25. The public favorite Hungary used Csenge Kuczora, Petra Vamos and Katrin Klujber in clever ways to break down Montenegro’s wall to 26-20.
Group I, Sweden–Poland 33–25 (17–15)
France–Romania 30–25 (12–9)
Hungary–Montenegro 26-20 (16–11)
Standings: France & Hungary 4p, Sweden & Montenegro 2p, Romania & Poland 0p.
Group II, Switzerland–Germany 27–36 (14–18)
Netherlands–Slovenia 26–22 (14–10)
Denmark–Norway 24–27 (12–13)
Standings: Netherlands & Norway 4p, Denmark & Germany 2p, Slovenia & Switzerland 0p.