MATCH REVIEW – It took Denmark nearly 40 minutes to get their attack going, and only when coach Jacobsen played 7-against-6, did Denmark defeat Egypt, who showed impressive will power and stayed close to their opponent for a second night in a row.

By Peter Bruun

Main Round – Group II

Egypt vs Denmark 20:26 (7:9)

Before the Match

After the Norway’s win against Sweden in the previous match, Denmark could no longer book the semi-final ticket, but they still needed a victory.

The Danes had the benefit of one more day of rest, compared to Egypt, who had a tough game, against Norway, only 22 hours before.

The Result

Denmark had significant problems in the first half and it was not until Nikolaj Jacobsen changed to a 7-against-6 formation, while adding Nikolaj Øris as right back, that the Danish game began to function.

It wasn’t pretty, but Niklas Landin & Co. booked the two points and are ready for the group final against Sweden, on Wednesday.

1st Half

Throughout the first 30 minutes, the match was a mirror image of Egypt’s game against Norway, 24 hours earlier.  Once again, the Egyptians fought hard, pushing the limits of fair play.

As several times before, Denmark got off to a slow and shaky start.  Mikkel Hansen missed a penalty and Egypt went up 2:0 and 3:1.

In fact, it took the hosts close to 12 minutes before, Magnus Landin arranged for Denmark’s first lead at 6:5.  Still, the Danes had huge problems dealing with Egypt´s 5-1 defense formation, which sometimes changed to man-to-man defense, pushing  Mikkel Hansen all the way to the court’s center line, especially, when Egypt had one player more on the pitch.

Hansen was clearly off in the first half, as he missed another penalty shot. Denmark’s offense simply did not work and Mensah Larsen covering the right back position did not help either, as Lasse Svan, on right wing, did not receive any passes to work with.

2nd Half

Nikolaj Jacobsen sent on Nikolaj Øris and eventually changed his offense, adding another player, while leaving Denmark’s own goal unprotected.

The tactic paid immediate dividends, as Egypt struggled to defend against Denmark’s 7-against-6 formation, but their slow and patient offense remained a challenge.

And, even though goalkeeping performance improved, as Jannick Green replaced Niklas Landin for the second match in succession, the Danes never managed to create a bigger lead than the six goals they were up towards the end of the match.

What They Said

Simon Hald – Denmark

“We played well in defense, but we had big problems in the attack for quite some time. We played too slow,  we were not good enough one-on-one, and our passes were not as precise as they should have been.

“I think playing 7-against-6 went well and in the end, we booked a clear win.”

Ahmed Elahmar – Egypt

“For the second day in succession we played a tough match. Yesterday, against Norway and today against Denmark.

“Once again, we fought hard and our 5-1 defense worked well, but when Denmark changed to a 7-against-6 formation, we did not really know what to do anymore.

What´s Next?

For Egypt, only pride will be at stake in their last match against Tunisia, on Wednesday afternoon.

Provided that Norway defeat Hungary, Denmark will proceed to the semi-finals, even in case of a loss of up to four goals against Sweden, in the very last game of the main round.