France stay unbeaten and head to main round with four points
January 18, 2025
Great clashes headline SuperSunday at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship
January 19, 2025After their third win in as many games, defending champions Denmark finished top of Group B and will start the main round with four points. Italy, which dropped their first points at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, will carry over two points to the next stage.
GROUP B
Denmark vs Italy 39:20 (18:8)
After two straight wins, Italy looked confident early in the game and actually enjoyed a strong start. They not only opened the score, when Endrit Iballi netted 27 seconds into the game, but went in front a couple of more times in the first minutes, just to test Denmark’s resolve.
But after the sides were level at 4:4, Denmark started to demonstrate their true quality. Italy failed to score a single goal between the seventh and the 22nd minutes, as Nikolaj Jacobsen’s team looked very focused in defence, and Emil Nielsen shut up shop. Following an impressive 8:0 run, the reigning champions opened a commanding 12:4 lead before Tommaso Romei finally ended Italy’s drought.
Nielsen boasted a 50% save rate in the first half, and his teammates scored one goal after another from fast attacks, with Mathias Gidsel, Simon Pytrick and Emil Jakobsen having the biggest impact. By half-time, Denmark’s lead reached double digits, so Italy needed a miracle to avoid a defeat.
The beginning of the second half was a letdown for the co-hosts, as left wing Magnus Landin, who had just come on for Emil Jakobsen, received a direct red card for a rough challenge on Simone Mengon. Moreover, Italy netted twice to slash the gap to 10:18 before Jakobsen, who had to return on the court, scored Denmark’s first goal after the restart, converting a penalty shot.
However, Denmark were back on track after a while, and they went on to extend their lead. Jacobsen rotated his squad in order to save the energy for the next crucial games, and after making 11 saves for a 42% efficiency, Nielsen was replaced by Kevin Moller. But some of the Danish players continued to shine in the second half, as Jakobsen and Pytlick, who ended the game with nine goals each.
In the end, Denmark cruised to a 19-goal win, 39:20, boasting a 75% shot efficiency, but although Italy lost this time, they can be proud of their overall performance in Group B – and will now try to create some surprises in the main round.
hummel Player of the Match: Emil Nielsen, Denmark
