Haakon Magnus of Norway was raised to maintain a royal demeanor even in complicated moments. So the Norwegian heir to the throne stood in the Unity Arena in Oslo in the middle of the unusually quiet 11,345 spectators and grinned into the cameras as he honored his compatriot Simen Ulstad Lyse as “Player of the Match”. Of course, the honoree with the distinctive mustache and mullet hairstyle didn’t want to smile, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who was standing next to her husband, also looked quite pained.
The Norwegians were able to celebrate the best player in this game against Portugal, the left back player scored nine goals. However, that wasn’t enough to avert the disgrace for the co-host of this handball world championship in Norway, Denmark and Croatia. After the 26:29 defeat against Brazil at the start of the World Cup, the 28:31 defeat against Portugal meant third place in Group E, which almost rules out a place in the quarter-finals.
According to the somewhat complicated format of a handball tournament, Norway does not take a single point into the main round, while Portugal takes four. Now the Vikings, who have so far not appeared very Viking-like, would have to win all the main round games and at the same time hope for the goodwill of the Nordic goddess of luck, Hamingja.
Accordingly, the criticism falls on the Norwegians with a mixture of disappointment, malice and anger. The domestic media speaks of a “Norwegian fiasco”, of “embarrassing” and “shocking” performances, especially since coach Jonas Wille spoke before the World Cup of the best team he had ever commanded.
Co-hosts Croatia also have to fight to reach the quarter-finals
The places in the quarter-finals in the main round group 3 are more likely to be made up of the highly rated Portuguese as well as the Swedes and Spaniards, who are traditionally medal contenders (both three points). Spain and Sweden split 29:29 in a dramatic match in the preliminary round. For the Norwegians, advancing is a wishful thinking; rather, the Northmen have to be mentioned in the same breath as handball dwarfs like Chile, Cape Verde and Cuba, who also progressed as third in the preliminary round.
Major handball tournaments
:Big in Germany and Denmark
Seven major men’s handball tournaments will take place in the two countries until 2032. The sport is happy about full halls, but there are also doubts as to whether this is the right way.
At the center of the allegations is playmaker Sander Sagosen. The 29-year-old has led his national team to success for almost a decade, with Norway finishing second at the 2017 and 2019 World Cups. After his title-rich time at THW Kiel, with whom he won the Champions League, Sagosen returned to his hometown club Kolstad a year ago. There he was supposed to lead a project that would bring Norwegian club handball back to the top of Europe, similar to what the Danes did with Aalborg.
But while the Danish top players who had returned home had already led Aalborg to the final of the Champions League, the Kolstad project stalled after financial difficulties. After an ankle injury and mental problems, Sagosen never found his best form – not even at this World Cup. After the dropout against Brazil, the backcourt player decided that from now on they would be playing with “a knife on their neck”. For him and his teammates it’s all about a decent farewell to the tournament, with good performances against Sweden and Spain. A reappraisal has long been underway and national coach Wille’s job is being openly discussed. The 48-year-old questions himself: “It’s important that the players and the staff are with me. If so, then I’m highly motivated.”

It was a similar story for co-hosts Croatia, who had no chance in the final group game against Egypt (24:28). At least the Croatians can point out that both of their playmakers, Domagoj Duvnjak and Luka Cindric, were injured; The veteran Igor Karacic, who was subsequently nominated, has not yet been able to fill the gap. Now reaching the knockout round – with only two points taken in a group with the stable North Africans and Iceland (both four points) – will prove to be difficult. The Egyptians benefit from the fact that many of their players earn their money in top European clubs. Iceland, traditionally seen as the secret favorite, is on the right track even without the injured top scorer Omar Ingi Magnusson.
Otherwise, world handball will not be reinvented at this World Cup. In addition to the Danes, the French are among the big favorites, especially since there are two players in Dika Mem and Elohim Prandi who had actually already withdrawn due to injuries. But there are also miracle cures in handball, Mem is even the top goalscorer on his team. In the final preliminary round game against Austria (35:27) he scored six times.
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