17.09.2007, 10:10
GOG concerns after shock defeat

The Danish champions are still without a victory after two rounds. Goalkeeper Henriksen is worried about the upcoming CL games.

GOG concerns after shock defeat

Peter Henriksen, goalkeeper of the Danish national team and GOG Svendborg TGI, is concerned about his team’s chances in the first Champions League group stage. The form of the team is not the best at the moment, GOG have only one point in the first two rounds in the domestic league.

“We have too few players,” said the experienced keeper after suffering a 32-23 shock defeat away against Aarhus GF in the second round of the Danish league. GOG were without three important players – Dennis Kirkegaard, Magnus Jernemyr and Mikkel Hansen, who are all injured. Despite the injuries, the big defeat shocked GOG and many in Danish handball.

Collapse in the second half

After a 24-24 home draw against AaB Håndbold in the first round, GOG started the away game well against Aarhus and they took a four-goal lead. Aarhus managed to equalise by half time, so that the score after the first 30 minutes was 12-12.

After the break, the GOG collapsed. Aarhus got a five goal lead soon at 19-14. From that point on, the champions were never able to get close to the hosts again and Aarhus went nine goal up at the end. This means that GOG had their worst start in the Danish league for several years with the Champions League only a week and a half away.

Warnings from Henriksen

One of the team’s most experienced players, Peter Henriksen, spoke out after the defeat. Henriksen was quite optimistic about the chances in the Champions League before the season.

“We said goodbye to quite a lot of players, but the club signed some high quality replacements. Even though it will probably take some time to integrate them, they are all high level players who will fit in very soon,” Peter Henriksen told Eurohandball.com before the season.

Now he sees things a bit differently:

“We have a new team, and this is not supposed to sound like an excuse, but we have too few players. There are not enough possibilities for substitutions and is also a problem in trainings,” the 35-year old keeper told the local Danish newspaper, Fyns Stiftstidende, after the nine-goal defeat in Aarhus.

GOG´s first challenge in the Champions League will be against the former CL winners, Portland San Antonio. The match will be played in Pamplona on 26 September.

TEXT: Peter Bruun