Denmark men’s handball team reached the final of the IHF World Championship 2023 after beating Spain 26-23 (15-10) in Sopot, Poland.
The team coached by Nikolaj Jakobsen have a chance to take their third world championship title in a row after they won on home soil in 2019 and in Egypt two years later.
Left-back Simon Pytlick poured in 6 goals for Denmark, while right-back Alex Dujshebaev was the best scorer for Spain with 5 goals.
After the first half Denmark had a five-point advantage (15-10) but Spain fought until the end. Jordi Ribera’s players were close to leveling the game but in the crucial moment, the goalie Niklas Landin saved a 7-meter shot by Ferran Sole.
“We thwarted too many chances and we gave Denmark a lot of occasions to create speed attacks. When you play in the semifinal, you can’t make such simple mistakes. Niklas Landin had a stunning performance between the posts. From my point of view the details turned out to be crucial tonight,” Alex Dujshebaev said just after the game.
In the final game, which will be played in Stockholm, the titleholders will face France or Sweden.
