On Sunday, the Danish women's handball team showed promising signs ahead of the upcoming European Championships in December.
In the final of the EHF Euro Cup—a warm-up tournament held in Bucharest, Romania—Denmark defeated Norway, the reigning European, World, and Olympic champions, 34–30. It is only the fourth time in 12 years that Denmark have beaten Norway.
Anna Kristensen got off to a strong start in goal. This fueled the counter-attack game, where right-winger Trine Ostergaard was particularly clinical. Ostergaard’s five goals from five attempts helped the Danes establish a three-goal lead after just over fifteen minutes.
However, the Danish offense then hit a rough patch characterized by an excessive error rate. Such mistakes are punished when facing Norway; the Danes barely blinked before Norway had erased the deficit, turning a 9–12 scoreline into 12–12. That spell, however, was merely a blip in an otherwise strong Danish performance.
After the break, the Danes truly hit their stride. Anna Kristensen continued to perform well, and whenever Norway was awarded a penalty throw, Sandra Toft was brought in on two occasions to make the save. With Helena Elver orchestrating the attack, Helle Thomsen saw her national team firing on all cylinders.
When Elver wasn't winning her own duels and scoring, she was treating her teammates to several exquisite assists. This gave Denmark a five-goal lead. However, just as in the first half, Denmark didn't have to stray far from their game plan before Norway made them pay.
Two unforced Danish errors in quick succession with ten minutes remaining led to two Norwegian fast-break goals. Suddenly, the lead was down to just 26–24.
Helena Elver, however, refused to let the lead slip away. When Norway also received a questionable suspension, any hopes of a Norwegian comeback—spearheaded by star player Henny Reistad—were effectively dashed.