France's victory at the European Handball Championship: The triumph of the immortals

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France's European Championship winners simply cannot lose

Photo: Wolfgang Rattay / REUTERS

Scene of the game:

There were still 70 seconds left to play in Cologne, Denmark led by one goal and was on the attack. Danish coach Nikolaj Jacobsen took a break. Now the Danes could discuss the move with which they would win the European Handball Championship against France. They have the class, they know all the tricks. They know how to win the big games. But her opponent also knows how not to lose. France defended offensively, provoked a loss of the ball and equalized to 27:27 through Ludovic Fabregas. As in the semi-final against Sweden, the French selection also fought its way into extra time in the final.

Lesson from the European Championship:

The French have perfected the ability to demoralize their opponents at the end of this European Championship. In the preliminary round, the German selection had to find out how France turned up the heat in the final phase. In the semifinals, Sweden couldn't get a foot on the table in overtime. And now, against Denmark, the 69:59 minute, the last second of extra time, was running and only the French arms went up. It was decided.

Result of the game

: France is European handball champion for the fourth time. The Olympic champion beat world champion Denmark 33:31 (27:27, 14:14) after extra time in the European Championship final and won the title again after 2006, 2010 and 2014. Fabregas was the new champion's best scorer with eight goals. Mikkel Hansen scored nine times for the Danes, who still have to wait for their third title after 2008 and 2012.

The surprising bench warmer:

The successful era of Danish handball is closely linked to goalkeeper Niklas Landin. The 35-year-old has been a member of the national team since 2008 and has already won European Championships, World Championships and the Olympic Games. Landin is one of the most successful goalkeepers in history. Of course, it was to be expected that Landin, with all his experience, would be between the posts on this evening of the final in front of 20,000 fans in Cologne. But he wasn't there, he sat on the bench until the 54th minute. The reason: Emil Nielsen, a 26-year-old who not many people had on their list before the European Championships.

The unlikely European Championship winner

: This Emil Nielsen, the Landin supplanter who also drove Germany to despair in the semi-finals, is as agile as a cat, even at 1.95 meters tall and 125 kilograms. Nielsen's class was also to be felt by France in the final. In the end, the keeper made 15 saves and was named player of the game. Nielsen's rise is surprising, perhaps even unlikely. In the 2016/2017 season he contracted meningitis, a disease that can be life-threatening and destroy an athlete's career. But Nielsen, who was just 18 years old at the time, fought his way back, went to France, moved to FC Barcelona two years ago and is now Denmark's new face.

The farewell tour:

The Frenchman Nikola Karabatić, 39, and the Dane Mikkel Hansen, 36, have won everything and are among the greats of their sport. Hansen in particular showed his class in the final when he sank his seven-meter shot with uncanny precision. In the end, Hansen even scored nine goals, meaning he has now scored a total of 296 European Championship goals in his career, more than anyone else. Karabatić, who barely played a role in the final and will end his career after the Summer Olympics in Paris, has one goal less, namely 295. He won't be able to get the record for most European Championship goals back, he can get over that. He leaves as European champion. Hardly any other player embodies the French Immortals team as well as Karabatić.

A European Championship with and without traction:

Deutsche Bahn, the European Championship's mobility partner, went on strike on many days of the tournament. An incorrect Icelandic national anthem was accidentally played in Cologne, and there were sound problems during the opening speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Not everything went perfectly at the European Championships in Germany, but there was great enthusiasm. A total of 1,008,660 spectators came into the halls on the final day, more than ever before at a European Championship finals. EHF General Secretary Martin Hausleitner also spoke of a great international response. The fans from the Faroe Islands who supported their team in Berlin will not be forgotten. Around 5,000 Faroese, around a tenth of the total population, were there in the preliminary round when their team scored a point against Norway and thus made handball history.

Outlook

: France or Denmark, one team will be at the top, this rule probably won't change that much in the future. And yet this European Championship was special; it put new faces in the spotlight. Be it Denmark's goalkeeper Nielsen, Denmark's goal machine and European Championship top scorer Mathias Gidsel, Germany's youngsters Juri Knorr and Julian Köster, France's pass king Nedim Remili, Austria's surprise goalkeeper Constantin Möstl - they all took advantage of the spotlight in front of the record crowd in Germany. Now they have to show in everyday league life how lasting the enthusiasm that has arisen around them was. It could happen as early as February 7th: then at least the handball Bundesliga will continue.