Men's EHF EURO 2026 post-match flash quotes: 28 January
HERNING/MALMÖ – Comments from players and coaches after matches in Men's EHF EURO 2026 main round groups I and II on Wednesday.
DENMARK vs NORWAY 38:24 (19:16)
Nikolaj Jacobsen (DEN) – Denmark head coach
On the win:
“I think we played really well. In the beginning we didn’t move that well in defence, and Norway played really well there.
“First half we played really well in defence, both goalkeepers was really good. I think over the whole match we have created many opportunities.”
On whether they are ready for the semi-finals:
“I hope so. We’re going to play against Iceland, and they have a really good team – some of the best players in the world, play really fast one-against-one. It will be a really tough match for us, but in this arena and this atmosphere, I hope we can take this with us to the semi-finals. Looking forward to playing a really great team.”
CROATIA vs HUNGARY 27:25 (13:15)
Dagur Sigurdsson (ISL) – Croatia head coach
On what gave Croatia the win:
“It was a really difficult game, Hungary played good, especially in the beginning of the game. Our defence and our goalkeepers didn’t find the fit, so we were always behind. We had to be very patient, we couldn’t make so many mistakes. So it was difficult, really difficult game, but step by step we came back in the second half, our goalkeepers started to put pressure on them and we got some fast break also, so it turned a lot.”
On reaching the semi-final:
“Extremely happy for the federation and for the people in Croatia and for the players, they deserve it. It’s a big fighting team and a good spirit in the team, so this is, after hard work, good. You can work very hard and it doesn’t always pay off, but it’s nice when it does.”
Luka Cindrić (CRO) – centre back
On reaching the semi-final:
“I’m so happy, this is special for us, I think we gave everything today on the court and I’m so proud of the team. It’s an amazing feeling. Today was really hard to play, we expect a tough match from the beginning and I think Hungary play really good.
“In the crucial moments we were maybe smarter and take the lead in the second half with some saves. I think we deserve this win, I’m so proud. This team, from the first game we came here with big dreams and now we are here, we are living these dreams, we are in the semi-finals and it’s so nice.”
On the tense ending of the match:
“After the loss against Sweden, for us every game in the main round was final, and we put focus on every game like it was the last one. And I think we prepared really good for every team and I think today for us the team won.”
Mario Šoštarić (CRO) – right wing
On the match:
“A lot of emotions again. They started seven against six, which is really hard to defend. They wanted to take these two points, they wanted to end our dreams .
“We knew in the half-time that step by step we’d come back, because we want. We were on the edge of reaching semi-finals and they had nothing to lose, so it was easier for them to play these kinds of games. But we knew that when momentum would come to our side we would take over. A few enormous saves from goalkeeper (Dominik Kuzmanović), a few more goals, and that was it.
“In the end it was chaotic. We took the better way, and we are in the semis. We are really happy.”
On the end of the match:
“First of all what David Mandić did before, he made a foul in attack, he put his body where nobody would put his head, maybe, he made a foul in attack and by that he got the chance to score the goal. I think he was the decisive man in the last moments.”
José Rodríguez (ESP) – Hungary head coach
On the loss and what decided the game for Croatia:
“I think in the second half we are so tired, really so tired. And all the clear that we built in the first half, in the second half we start to be tired and we don’t make the things good. But it’s like this, we stay until the end, we have a chance to draw the match, and finally we lost. So happy, so proud of the team for these last two matches. We are near the guys that go to the semi-final, we fight with them. This is good for us.”
On what he takes from this championship:
“I think for me was important these last two games, that we saw we don’t have no chance for for semi-final or make the first position, we fight like crazy and try to win the matches. And the power of the guys was incredible. So proud of the team, I think if we continue with this philosophy we can do something great in the future tournaments and I go home with this.”
Kristóf Palasics (HUN) – goalkeeper
On what decided the win for Croatia:
“It was a really tough game, so really small things, maybe some saves, some missed shots, some goals, some fast breaks. I think we did a really tough game and a really good game overall, of course, everyone makes mistakes but it’s part of handball. So, it was really small things in the end, it’s luck or no luck. They missed last attack in fault and they score a goal so it’s things like this that decide the game.”
On what was different in the second half:
“I think in the first half we were doing really a great job, both in defence and in offence, and especially with our seven-against-six. We were creating the chances and scoring them, and, of course, Croatia I think is an amazing team in Europe and they are ready to fight for every World Cup and every European championship.
"In the second half I think they scored some fast goals that turned the game around and after this it was really difficult to come back from losing. But I think we were still there, we were still fighting, and for this I’m really proud of.”
On the tournament overall:
“It’s European championship, every point lost or every game lost, in the end it means that you cannot reach your goal. Of course, we’re expecting more, I think, as a team, and we wanted to achieve something great together, but as I said, it’s European championship and we cannot have 30-minute breaks when the game is not working because every team here in Europe is capable of amazing things.
"And I think because of this, or at least from my side, I’m a little bit disappointed, but on the other hand we were fighting like crazy and showed our true self, especially when we had a tougher period, when we lost against Iceland, we played draw against Switzerland and we lose against Slovenia, instead of all this yesterday we played draw against Sweden, which is one of the best teams in the world I think, especially here in their home.
"So I’m really proud of the team and I think we made also progress, maybe it’s not showing now in the result, but for sure I think there are some positive experiences that we can bring on.”
GERMANY vs FRANCE 38:34 (19:15)
Alfred Gislason (ISL) – Germany head coach
On the victory:
“Really, it was a fantastic game from our side, we were good in defence, most of the time, not all the time. We had a problem in the middle of second half, but what was really important was our fantastic game in attack today, a lot better than the last games. Of course, I am really happy for guys like Juri Knorr, who made a tremendous game and he helped us a lot today. But all the others, everyone was playing well, so I think we deserved to win this game.”
On his timings for his timeouts:
“Yes, I have taken this risk 10 times in my career, once I was wrong, it was against Serbia, because I was looking at the clock. Today I had luck, I thought this pass wasn’t going to come because they were on six metres, so I was right there, luckily.”
Andreas Wolff (GER) – goalkeeper
On the victory:
“We showed a significantly improved attacking performance, and in the decisive moments we were more clever both in defence and in attack. Every player was able to make his mark over the full 60 minutes.”
On reaching the third semi-final in two years:
“The anticipation for the final weekend is huge, because you’re still involved in the tournament right until the end. Many teams at our hotel have already left; we’re still here, we’re staying until the very end and we still have tasks ahead of us. That’s a very special feeling.”
On Juri Knorr’s performance:
“That was fantastic – that’s exactly the kind of performance we needed from him today.”
On their potential semi-final opponents:
“The Danes won’t lose, so we’ll finish second and play Croatia. The fact that we beat them twice two weeks ago means absolutely nothing ahead of a semi-final.
“The Croatians thrive on their reflexes. They reached the World Championship final last year and have also shown in this tournament that they are capable of great things. They overcame a difficult situation after the heavy defeat against Sweden and went on to win the group. Croatia fully deserve their place in the semi-finals.”
On both teams bouncing back after defeats:
“We produced a very poor performance against Serbia that almost cost us the entire tournament. Since then, we’ve performed very well, even though we made a few too many mistakes against Denmark. If we’re lucky, we may still get the chance for revenge against Denmark. The Croatians are always at their best when their backs are against the wall.”
Matthes Langhoff (GER) – left back
On the closing stages, when France were able to reduce the deficit:
“I was 100 per cent convinced that we would win the match, even when France closed the gap towards the end by coming at us with a lot of pace. But for me it was clear that we would see the game through.”
On Germany’s first victory over France at an EHF EURO in 28 years:
“Reaching the semi-finals is the main focus, but it’s nice that it was also a historic victory. We showed [at the 2024 Olympic Games] in Lille that we can beat France, but they are of course an incredible team that demanded everything from us. We knew we had to improve our attacking play compared to the match against Denmark, and we managed to do that. This was our best attacking performance at this EURO. Because of the high speed we conceded more goals than we would have liked, but of course we were also missing Tom [Kiesler].”
On Juri Knorr’s performance:
“It’s great that he was so strong today. When Juri gets into his rhythm, he’s almost impossible to stop. He helps enormously with those simple goals from the second wave, when he runs past his opponent. That was incredibly important today. We’re absolutely delighted that he was so present today.”
On the potential semi-final opponents Iceland and Croatia:
“The fact that we won the most recent test matches against both Iceland and Croatia means absolutely nothing in a semi-final. It’s a completely different situation. We’re focusing on ourselves — I don’t really mind who we face. We’ll give everything to make it to the final; we’re all convinced we can do it.”
Guillaume Gille (FRA) – France head coach
On the defeat:
“It’s tough and the head hurts a lot. When I think about the game again, I think we were too slow to react in the first half, and Germany just surfed on the wave they created in the first 15 minutes.
“We missed some defensive efficiency, we missed some goalkeepers saves, and even though we managed to score, they created the gap. Of course, our second half was better, we had the balls to make the score even. But we did not score them. And at the end, we paid the bill.”
On how this elimination does not match France’s ambitions:
“No matter how tough this main round group was, the result is there. And it’s disappointing, because we at least wanted a medal. We did not manage to play better in order to reach the semi-finals and we played a Germany team which had an amazing game. Of course, the loss against Spain was a stone in our shoe, but even with that, we were playing a final today. And we did not win it.”
On whether he still wants to coach the team:
“This defeat does not change anything on whether I love my team or if I want to keep coaching it. Yes, I feel like I am ready to take on those new challenges.”
On the individual performances France lacked to qualify:
“Of course, you can tell that one player scored 11 and the other one only scored two. But that’s not how I think. I see that the whole team, and I used the word whole on purpose, was not able to play better than Germany today. How, on every position, we were not good enough to win this game. It’s as simple as this.”
Dika Mem (FRA) – right back
On the defeat:
“Of course, I am really disappointed, I did not come here to be eliminated after the main round. It’s hard to talk right now, because I’m sad we won’t get any medals this time. That’s what we came for.”
On why France lost:
“Our first half was not good enough, we are down by four at the break, due to silly mistakes, changing mistakes, this kind of stuff. They scored some easy goals and when they were on track, it was done. We managed to come back within one, but we were not efficient enough on both sides of the court to tie the game.”
On how this elimination does not go along with France’s ambitions:
“We have a great team, and we’ll try to keep growing. Of course, we did not qualify, and we are sad now. But the only way is forward for us, keep working, keep making progress, because we saw at this EURO that the other teams were working hard as well.”
Ludovic Fabregas (FRA) – line player
On the feeling after the defeat:
“We are really disappointed, of course, because we wanted to win that game and to fight for a medal. I feel like the attitudes in our camp were good, on the court and before the game. But also that Germany were really good, they really pushed us and we did not manage to keep up with them.”
On France not reaching the 5/6 placement match:
“It’s hard to swallow, but when you lose three games in the main round, you probably do not deserve more. When you lose to Spain, Denmark and Germany, then you can only finish behind the first two best teams. We knew, before the main round, that some teams would be disappointed, given how high the level was. But that did not change our expectations. Our expectations are not changing depending on who we are playing against. And it’s hard to accept that we are not making it.”
On the reasons for the defeat:
“Hard to say right now. I only know that I am proud of the energy that we displayed and of how hard we tried. But Germany were really good, our defence missed some things, we did not score when we had the opportunity to make the score even, and in the end they got the upper hand again.”
SLOVENIA vs ICELAND 31:39 (16:18)
Uroš Zorman (SLO) – head coach
On what decided the game for Iceland today:
“First half, when we should take lead, because we played, first 10-15 minutes we were a little bit nervous and then we entering the game, but we had 10 technical faults, and they had zero, so here’s different. We were just losing by two goals, and then the second half the same, and in the beginning we enter good, we were in the game, but, again, we had the ball to equalise, we made mistakes.
“And Iceland, of course, with this experience… In the end, congratulations to Iceland, they were better and we had less energy and then today we missed rotation, but this is my job. Iceland was in the second half better, they won and they go to semi-finals, good luck to them.
“And in the end I can just say that I am proud of my team, we made one really great tournament, it was bad luck that some virus entering the team two-three days ago, and these last games which we had for the semi-final we were not 100 per cent healthy.
“Through this tournament we lose so many energy. If somebody tell me before the tournament that we would be in the position to play last two games for the semi-final I would say ‘don’t make a joke’. But the players deserve this, they play really good, I think that they play modern handball, good defence and quick attack, so I am proud.”
On how this experience serves the team for the future:
“We have six debutants on this tournament and you know, when they come on the court, even if they played already in the clubs, or they played these European competitiona, they have eyes like this. They go one-two times up-and-down and the nerves take all energy. But, of course, for me, the coach, it’s one great experience, good experience, and we also know a little bit more the number on the list of the players for the future.
“Before the tournament I always said ‘always something happens with a reason’, so also these things happen, with these injuries. Also less is more in the end, and we showed this in the tournament. So I’m also happy about that, that we showed we can, we did it, and to be between the eight teams in Europe with so many problems and with this team, it’s one great result.”
Miljan Vujović (SLO) – goalkeeper
On what decided the game for Iceland today:
“I think we was close for first half, and then in second half maybe we lost a bit of energy. It was not so real, like all this championship, but you must know we played yesterday at 18:00 o’clock, and also we had 24 hours to recover, but this is championship. For everybody it’s the same. But we can be proud also for what we made until now and keep going. I am very proud of my team, my teammates, staff.”
On what he takes from the championship as a whole:
“Before the championship, everybody said we lose 10 players from the first team and this should be dissapointing. But we was together for the first day of preparations, maybe we didn’t play very good in the preparation games, but we showed character, we showed that we can, and this is very, very nice for the future, of course. And also I must be real, maybe for now this is our maximum, but we have experience for the next championship and I hope we’ll be next time much, much better.”
Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson (ISL) – head coach
On reaching the semi-finals:
“I’m just unbelievably happy, of course. I’m proud of the guys, of the team. It’s, of course, a huge moment for us, not often that we are in the semis, so just a big compliment on all the players and the team and the fans. It was a great game.”
On what decided the win over Slovenia:
“It’s difficult to say. We had really off days, especially in the defence yesterday and we were really unhappy with it. I think we found a little bit the way we play, especially in the defence, although their were scoring goals a lot from seven metres and so on, but it was closer to what Iceland shoot looks, but mostly maybe the character of the players today was amazing.”
On what he takes from the main round:
“I think it makes us stronger, we had a lot of emotions during this main round, we were up and down but we fought back and, of course, we got a little help from Hungary yesterday, but we took it, so I think this will make us a stronger and better team.”
Ómar Ingi Magnússon (ISL) – right back
On what decided the win for Iceland today:
“I thought we were actually pretty good in all faces of the game, defence and in offence, and also in position. We had a good feeling after the first half, but the scoreboard was only two goals (difference). But we had a really good feeling because we felt like we had good answers for their tactics, and we managed to get better in the second half.”
On making it to the semi-final:
“Of course, it’s a big step for the team. We are really happy about it and, like you said, in a long time, so it feels really good. But we have one more thing, so we still need to be focused going on.”
SPAIN vs PORTUGAL 27:35 (12:16)
Jordi Ribera (ESP) – Spain head coach
On the match:
“My team did not start the match. It’s very difficult after (conceding) three, four, five goals to recover. More mistakes, and lost balls in the first half; it’s not possible to have continuation in the movement of the ball.
“Today is not a very good day, it’s very sad.”
Alex Dujshebaev (ESP) – right back
On the match:
“I think we were not focused, for sure. For me it’s our worst game in the whole tournament. We were happy before the game, we managed to make a great tournament, but today really was our worst performance.
“We have to improve, and we have to be critical with ourselves because we couldn’t play in this kind of style. Especially in the beginning, we cannot go out like this today.”
On the tournament as a whole:
“If you asked me just one day ago I would have told you that I’m proud of the team, like they performed during the whole tournament, how they fight against every team. Maybe you can win, you can lose, it’s sometimes that tight especially at the end of the games.
“I hope the young guys, the future of the Spanish team, can help us as fast as possible. I think they are making a lot of steps forward.”
Ian Tarrafeta (ESP) – centre back
On the defeat:
“Nothing really worked for us today, either on offence or the defence. This was really not the ending we hoped for. Of course, we did not have much to play, but it’s always better to finish with a win, and we did not manage to. We told ourselves at the break that we had to give everything until the end, but I could feel that we were all a bit empty.”
On their defence not being as effective as it was against France:
“We tried everything, 1-5, 0-6, but they found solutions for everything. I guess it was really just one of those days where whatever must work doesn’t. In the second half, I thought we were better and then they found solutions with their seven against six offence. And offensively, we missed too many things and lost too many balls to expect a better result.”
On what Spain will take from the EURO:
“We gave some fantastic performances, against France, for example. But I guess luck was not on our side, like against Germany and Norway. If we had had three points more before this last game, then we would have had something to play for today. I guess that this is encouraging, somehow, because at some points, we were able to play well. We just have to learn how to play at this level, but for longer.”
Paulo Pereira (POR) – Portugal head coach
On the win:
“Spain is always Spain, they know how to play handball. They have very good ideas in defence and in attack. This is dynamic, everybody work and everybody try to find solutions to perform.
“Today in the plan of the game it was great for us. Everything was in time, and we play really correctly. I’m happy because everybody work at the final, everybody work a lot.
“In the past year me and Jordi (Ribera) are always the first guys in breakfast. Now we are in different hotels, but I know he is first there, I am first here in my hotel, so we work a lot. But someone must lose, someone must win. Today it was Portugal.”
On the future of the team:
“We are growing up. This team is under construction. We have some young players, step by step we continue our process, and I hope we can continue with victories.”
António Areia (POR) – right wing
On the victory:
“We said we wanted to give ourselves all of the chances to win and to go to the 5/6 placement game. And I think we took that game by the right end, like we really played well, on both sides of the court. It was a really good game from us, against a very tough team of Spain, who had just beat France. I am really proud of what we were able to do, despite being tired and already eliminated.”
On the importance of playing the 5/6 game for Portugal:
“Because if we do, we could reach the best ranking in the tournament ever. Even without that, it’s always good to leave the court feeling that you have given everything. We played to our maximum and even if we don’t qualify for the game on Friday, we can be proud of what we did today.”
On how they will spend the next hours:
“We will watch the Germany game, for sure, and hope that Germany win so we can finish third. We will watch that game, of course, and then the Denmark one as well. But whatever happens, I am happy because we now have no regrets. Everything is out of our hands, we have done our job.”
Salvador Salvador (POR) – left back
On the game and Spain changing the defence:
“I think we did a really, really good match. We entered really good in our defence, (Diogo) Valério helped us a lot. I think the defence was really good on the beginning. After, we put the game by two, three, four and we managed the lead.
“On our attack we was really efficient, we scored a lot of goals and at half-time we was winning by four. About the defence, I think it’s normal, because they lost (Abel) Serdio for this game, it’s normal that they change a little bit and they defend good 5-1 against France. So it’s normal that they changed the defence.
“In the second half I think we did an amazing job again, they put the defence by two, and after we keep our defence with a lot of aggressivity, and Capdeville entered good good with two-three saves, important saves for us, and when we need to calm down again we put the seven-against-six and it was good for us.”
On the lessons they are taking from the main round:
“I think we tried to do our job, we came to the main round with two amazing points, but I think we feel a little bit exhausted, it was a little bit tiring in the game against Germany and it was a really hard game for us and our mindsets, we lost in the last minutes. In the game against France we enter a little bit with the incorrect attitude and mentality. In the two last games we tried to correct this, we tried to be better, to do other things and I think we did an amazing job.”
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