Denmark take victory to end Norway’s series of EHF EURO Cup trophies

In a high-class final, Helle Thomsen's team was ahead almost from start to finish and took a well-deserved 34:30 victory to win this competition right in their debut season, with their eighth win in eight matches. Just like in the semi-final against hosts Romania, goalkeeper Anna Kristensen was the match winner, this time with 15 saves. After 10 strikes in the final, Norway’s Henny Reistad finished the competition as the top scorer with an overall of 56 goals.

FINAL

NORWAY vs DENMARK 30:34 (15:17)

Top scorers: Henny Reistad 10/13 (Norway); Trine Jensen Østergaard 8/9 (Denmark)

• after the early 3:2 lead for Norway, Denmark did not get left behind anymore in this Scandinavian derby for gold, in which the teams knew each other very well

• backed by Anna Kristensen's saves and the goals on counterattack scored by Trine Jensen Østergaard after turnovers, the Danes took their first three-goal advantage at 10:7 and kept a two-goal margin until the break

• Norway could not start their regular fast match-play and in positional attack they had problems to get through the Danish defence and to beat the outstanding Kristensen

• when Østergaard netted again for the 21:16, it already felt like they were heading for a win, but knew from the previous encounters that a match against Norway is only over at the final buzzer

• despite being down constantly, the defending champions remained patient and mainly scored through Kari Brattset Dale and Henny Reistad — and managed to reduce the result to two goals (24:26) in minute 50

• finally, CSM Bucuresti’s Danish left wing Emma Friis secured the gold medal scoring for 32:28, followed by another one of Kristensen's saves, deciding the outcome of the game

The final as a hint for the Women's EHF EURO 2026?

The first Women's EHF EURO Cup final ever combined the only multiple EHF EURO winners, who took 13 trophies combined out of 16 — namely, 10 for Norway and three for Denmark. It was a long time ago when Denmark last won a crucial duel against Norway: they lost the EHF EURO 2022 and 2024 finals, the 2024 Olympic Games semi-final in Paris and the 2023 IHF World Championship semi-final clash on home ground.

In their very first EHF EURO Cup participation, the Danes made history by ending the Norwegian's series after 19 victories in the same number of matches in the competition. Norway took the trophy twice, in 2022 and 2024 — and both times they were followed by EHF EURO trophies later on.

With strong goalkeepers, cold-as-ice wings and shooting power from the back court, the Danish side now turned the tide. But is this final already a hint for the upcoming EHF EURO 2026? The Scandinavian rivals — and main contenders for the trophy — are expected to have another main round duel like in 2022 and 2024. If they qualify from the group phase, they are set to lock horns again on Romanian soil, in Cluj-Napoca. And maybe they will have another duel later, in Katowice, Poland — if so, that one will be a medal fight.

Photos © Sabin Malisevschi / FRH