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HAMBURG - Comments from Norway head coach Jonas Wille (NOR), left wing Alexandre Blonz (NOR) and goalkeeper Torbjørn Bergerud (NOR) and Sweden head coach Glenn Solberg (NOR), right back Lukas Sandell (SWE) and line player Andreas Nilsson (SWE); Slovenia head coach Uros Zorman (SLO), goalkeeper Klemen Ferlin (SLO) and centre back Miha Zarabec (SLO), Denmark head coach Nikolaj Jacobsen (DEN), back Henrik Møllgaard (DEN) and goalkeeper Niklas Landin (DEN); Netherlands head coach Staffan Olsson (SWE), left wing Rutger ten Velde (NED) and centre back Luc Steins (NED), and Portugal head coach Paulo Pereira (POR), goalkeeper Diogo Rêma Marques (POR) and right wing António Areia (POR) after the Netherlands drew 33:33 with Portugal, Slovenia beat Denmark 28:25 and Norway beat Sweden 33:23 at the Barclays Arena on Tuesday.
NORWAY vs SWEDEN
Jonas Wille (NOR) – head coach, Norway
On the victory:
“We were aware that this match was more important for us than for Sweden. I am satisfied with this very good match. It was important for us to get this feeling back that we can play handball. Sweden will have some more important matches in this tournament and we wish Sweden all the best.”
Alexandre Blonz (NOR) - left wing
On the win against Sweden:
“We knew before the match this game couldn't bring anything special to either team with Sweden already in the semi-finals and us out of the competition, but still we wanted to fight for the ranking and to have a better feeling at the farewell.
“In the locker room before the game, we agreed to give our maximum. We are playing with our national flag on the chest and we need to perform our best every time. It is good we made it this time. We didn't think we will be able to win by 10 goals, but Sweden are doing what they should – resting players to win on Friday.”
On the overall performance at the Men's EHF EURO 2024:
“We won three games, drew against the Faroe Islands and were defeated by Portugal, Slovenia and Denmark – so not very good. We need to do better.”
Torbjørn Bergerud (NOR) - goalkeeper
On the win against Sweden:
“We didn't expect such a big win, but we knew we wanted to end this competition with a win, to make a difference. It is better to leave with a positive feeling. We are not satisfied with the championship in total, but at least we don't have a bad feeling going home after a win against Sweden.”
On why they won:
“It is a bit difficult with the matches like this, when you know you don't have a lot to gain or to lose. Sweden had secured second place even before this, but no matter what, every time when you are playing the Scandinavian derby you want to win and I am happy we managed today. I think they also wanted to win today, but we were better.”
Glenn Solberg (NOR) – head coach, Sweden
On the defeat:
“I am disappointed. We did not have the right attitude and quality today. This needs to be fixed. Today we were not good enough and Norway is a very good team that plays very good handball. I am very sure that they will come back.”
On the semi-final against France:
“We have a plan for the game and hope to have a good training tomorrow. Hopefully we will come back to the level that we know we are. This is important because France is one of the best teams in the world.”
Lukas Sandell (SWE) - right back
On the 10-goal defeat by Norway:
“We are not happy with this game. It was a hard game for us, we fought a lot but we missed too many shots and had too many technical faults. Maybe we are already thinking about the Cologne games, but it doesn't matter. I'm just disappointed right now. We are all good handball players, but against Norway, we didn't play like we should.”
On the feeling of going to Cologne with defeat:
“I don't think it will affect us much. We know how good we are and what we can do. We will be disappointed for a moment, but the next day we will get up and aim for our goals. I know in Cologne we will be on our game.”
Andreas Nilsson (SWE) - line player
On the defeat against Norway:
“Ten goals in this game is just too much, it is not good. We didn't play at our level and it was obvious. We need to take games like this more seriously.”
On their performance:
“It can be that our heads are already in the semi-finals, but we have put on our shirts today and we should play on the level it deserves. It is OK to lose the games, but it is not OK to lose by 10. This is not the right way to go.”
SLOVENIA vs DENMARK
Uros Zorman (SLO) – head coach, Slovenia
On the victory:
“Today my team had a big motivation to win because we knew that Portugal got a draw against the Netherlands and a win means to go to Cologne. We played a great game."
Klemen Ferlin (SLO) - goalkeeper
On the win against Denmark:
“I think no one believed we could win against Denmark. They are a strong team no matter who is playing. We agreed we will give our best against them and that we wanted to show the true power of Slovenia and what we could. We showed that throughout the game.’’
On the goalkeepers’ performance:
“Urban [Lesjak] and I have a good relation, but our good performance came from our strong defence. Our teammates were fighting hard on the court and helped us a lot.”
On going to Cologne:
“We have reached our goal, we are in Cologne and fighting for the fifth place. For us, it doesn’t matter who will we face. We will try to repeat great performance and win.”
Miha Zarabec (SLO) - centre back
On the win against Denmark:
“After the end of the game between Portugal and the Netherlands, we said we will give our best no matter what without pressure. Just to enjoy the game.
“From the first minute, we had a good tempo and good saves. I’m proud of what we achieved, we know who are Denmark, they have an amazing squad and despite all, we did a great job.”
On the Danish team:
“I know Nikolaj [Jacobsen], it is not easy for him. He likes to win every game and he is that character. That is why I’m even happier we did it. We had luck on our side at the end with a few [Urban] Lesjak saves and their lost balls. Those are the small details that decided the game. We are just happy about going to Cologne.”
On the performance:
“We knew Denmark will be able to come back in the second half, the tempo they are playing can catch us in only a few minutes. We never gave up and we kept pushing our thing.
“We were lucky with a few of their mistakes and the only important thing is we won. We were never close to winning and that is why this win is even bigger for us and additional motivation for us.”
On the importance of winning:
“For us, it is good we didn't end the European championship with a high defeat, that we are still in the game for something and it gave us new wings. Yet, we need to try to keep calm and prepare for Friday's game.”
On the possible Cologne opponents:
“Well, I would like to play against Germany, but they have a good chance of going to the semi-finals. So, let's say Austria. To have Ales Pajovic, our Slovenian, on the other side. They are playing a good tournament.”
Nikolaj Jacobsen (DEN) – head coach, Denmark
On the defeat:
“In this game we gave rest to some players because of the really tough matches in this tournament. So the rhythm of our game was not as we normally play. Our major problems were in the first half. In the second half we played a good defence and managed to get the goals that we needed.”
Henrik Møllgaard (DEN) - back
On the first defeat at the Men's EHF EURO 2024:
“We had the opportunity to rest a couple of guys that played a lot of minutes at the tournament. We have tough games coming in Cologne on Friday and Sunday, but we came and tried to win.
“At the European championship is hard to win if you are not at 100 per cent and we weren't. We knew we will face a team that had a lot to gain and a good opportunity. We are a bit disappointed with the performance. Our eyes were already on Cologne.”
On the Danish team:
“It was part of the game plan to rest and to allow the guys that didn't play as much, so they can contribute and gain some confidence before the last two games. That is part of the reason we had some problems with finding the rhythm.
“When you are missing [Simon] Pytlick and [Mathias] Gidsel, who are creating a lot of speed and goals, you know it is going to be a different game. We saw that against Slovenia.”
Niklas Landin (DEN) - goalkeeper
On the defeat against Slovenia:
“We were a bit unlucky near the end of the game with some rebounds to Slovenian players. I think it is the case when your three big players are in the crowd and that had an impact. Slovenia played very good and had something important to fight for.”
On the feeling after defeat and Danish overall performance:
“He [coach Nikolaj Jacobsen] is never happy. We didn't want to lose, neither the coach nor us players. We had a good tournament so far, but we are still not on the high level that we can be. We can raise more. I hope we will reach in Cologne and be able to play on our peak for the finals – against Germany, at least what I think.”
NETHERLANDS vs PORTUGAL
Staffan Olsson (SWE) – head coach, Netherlands
On the match:
“This was a tight game. I am proud of my team and how they performed after this tough tournament. We suffered during the previous games. For us this game was not so important but my team has showed character. The Portuguese [Diogo Rêma Marques] did a fantastic job.”
Rutger ten Velde (NED) - left wing
On the last game against Portugal:
“I am happy we took one point because it was a tight game and it would be sad for us to say goodbye to the European championship without any point won in the main round. We fought until the end; we showed the crowd we have some energy left. We were fighting for our honour and we did just that. It was mentally a great chance to show one more time we can do good despite the results so far. ”
On the overall performance:
“We had some problems even before the start of the tournament with missing Kay Smits and Tom Jensen, then we started the tournament great with two wins and the strong game against Sweden. I still feel bad we didn't take points from that game.
“Then we lost Samir Benghanem and Thoms Houtepen, against Portugal, we didn't have Dani Baijens. So, overall, we struggled to find some energy in the game. We will try to attack next tournament with hopefully a fit team.”
Luc Steins (NED) - centre back
On the game against Portugal:
“We came to the game with determination. We wanted to do a last good game and I think we showed fighting spirit. That is something that was always on a good level in our team. We were unlucky in some games where we didn't take some points we needed. Against Portugal, we took at least one and ended the tournament with a little smile.”
On their play:
“I had a feeling we could have scored even more in the first half. In the finishing moments of the game, I think there is still room for improvement. If you were watching the tournament, in many games the goalkeeper of the opponent was the Player of the Match so that is sometimes our fault also. This is something we need to overcome and be better at the next competition.”
On the overall performance:
“We wanted to come to Germany for a bit more and qualify for the Olympic Games qualification tournament. In the end, we didn't manage it. I am disappointed about that, but we can be proud of the performance we did.
“We were close in every game. Maybe it was difficult to expect more with all the injuries we had. We don't have that big team and for us was only important to fight until the end and show our strong mentality.”
Paulo Pereira (POR) – head coach, Portugal
On the match:
“I saw a good game of both teams. We made the best out of it. We had a lot of pressure for this game. The first half was strange. In the second half we did a very good job and had a good defence. The Netherlands had good transitions in attack. I am happy with my players and I am proud about what we made. It was amazing.”
Diogo Rêma Marques (POR) - goalkeeper
On the draw against the Netherlands:
“We started very bad, especially in the defence in the first half. In the second half, we tried to play better and we did it, we started to be in front at some moments but it wasn't enough for the win. We know have to wait for Slovenia and Denmark to play their game and of course, we are cheering for Denmark.”
On the Portuguese performance:
“We lost some balls in the attack, but it happens. We need to improve if we will play the next match in Cologne and we want that. We want to play the placement match, finish fifth and have the best ranking ever at the European championship.”
António Areia (POR) - right wing
On the game against the Netherlands:
“Really tough game against the Netherlands. Both teams are equal and we were maybe in a better moment at the tournament than them before this game. The Netherlands are a tough team and have a good fighting spirit.
“Our team had a tough start to the match, I don't know if it was energy or focus. In the second half, we started better, we mixed it up, stepped up a little bit in the defence and tried to tie the game. We even were in front and had a ball to have a two-goal lead, but in the end, it was a strong fight and tight game. Of course, we are not depending on ourselves now to go to Cologne, but we are confident it will happen.”
On their performance:
“It is lucky for us our goalkeepers were good and were saving shots from every position, not only against the Netherlands, but they had a good tournament. When we have goalkeepers like that, we need to do much better in the attack and play faster.”
TEXT: EHF / Danijela Vekić
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