Reigning champions Denmark faced a sturdy challenge, but eventually maintained their perfect record at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, beating Czechia by six goals, 28:22. 

MAIN ROUND GROUP I
Czechia vs Denmark 22:28 (10:12)

In the first half, Denmark faced some of the toughest opposition in the competitions so far, struggling in attack against the sturdy Czech defence. Sure, Denmark had already secured a quarter-final berth and the top position in Group I before this match, so they could be a bit less focused than usually, yet Czechia should also be given a credit for their performance in their last match at Croatia/Denmark/Germany 2025.

Goalkeeper Tomas Mrkva did a great job, as he made nine saves for a 45% saving efficiency before the break, including two penalties. Between the 12th and 22nd minutes, reigning champions failed to score a single goal, and as the teams were level at 8:8, Nikolaj Jacobsen had to take a timeout to spur his players on, as Denmark looked out of sorts.

Luckily for Denmark, their goalkeeping was also superb, as Emil Nielsen, who had recorded 23 saves in the previous match against Tunisia, showed his quality again. In the opening 30 minutes, he even outperformed Mrkva, recording 10 saves and a 50% efficiency, which helped the Nordic side to lead 12:10 after the low-scoring first half.

Denmark missed three penalty shots before Mathias Gidsel finally converted his attempt midway through the second half. A few minutes before that, the Nordic side led by just three goals, 18:15, but spurred by Gidsel, they had a 4:0 run to finally pull clear and virtually secure their victory. 

Nielsen made 16 saves for a 52% saving efficiency before being replaced by Jannik Green, and Gidsel ended the game with 10 goals, as Denmark won their last home game at this IHF Men's World Championship edition before moving to Baerum, where they will play the quarter-final against Brazil and Portugal on Wednesday. 

The match also saw a passing of the torch, with Gidsel receiving the hummel Player of the Match award from former teammates Niklas Landin and Mikkel Hansen, who were there to cheer for their former side, being key parts of the squad which secured three world titles in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

As for Czechia, they lost their last match at the tournament and finished fifth in Group I, but they fought hard against a very strong opponent, and they can also take some pride in this performance despite a defeat. 

hummel Player of the Match: Mathias Gidsel (Denmark)