Men's EHF EURO 2026 post-match flash quotes: 17 January
HERNING/OSLO/MALMÖ – Comments from players and coaches after Men's EHF EURO 2026 round 2 matches in groups A and C and round 1 matches in group E on 17 January.
SERBIA vs GERMANY 30:27 (13:17)
Raúl González (ESP) – Serbia head coach
On the match:
“It was always difficult to play here.
“The hall was full, full of people from Germany, which means we have to play perfect.”
On differences between this match and the first match:
“We were always very close, but his (Germany’s) goalkeeper was saving a lot, we did several mistakes especially in the fast break and then they took three, four goals. But we talked before the match we had to play 60 minutes, because maybe something can happen in the last game. We tried to fight to the end, and we got two points.”
On the pressure of the last match:
“Now everything can happen. We have to be focused on the victory, because we can pass only with a victory. We will see what will happen with Germany and Spain, and we will see.”
Dragan Pechmalbec (SRB) – line player
On whether the first-ever win against Germany is one of the biggest in Serbian handball history:
"I watched the stats before and we wanted to be the first team of Serbia to beat Germany. Very, very good team, congrats to them, but I think today especially in the second half we played with a lot of heart and we fought a lot.
“We don't have quality like them, but today we showed to everyone that we can play like a team and beat anyone in this European championship. We lost the first match against Spain and if we lose against Austria we're out, so we need to be humble and to prepare really well because this will be like a final if we want to go to the main round."
On playing in front of mostly German fans:
"Sometimes it can be a big pressure, but it's also a big pressure for them (Germany) as I felt like we didn't play in Denmark like the game was in Berlin or anywhere in Germany. It was tense and all the decisions went against us and that helped us to play even better."
On the last match in the preliminary round:
"Germany was one of the best teams in the history and they got the silver medal at the Olympics, a really strong team and we need to be proud, but we need to beat Austria as it will be sad to beat against Germany and lose to Austria."
Alfred Gislason (ISL) – Germany head coach
On the match:
“We played quite a good first half, defensively and in goal also. But in the second half we started making too much error, we were not quite so good in defence also, but we made too many errors in attack. Too many shots that didn’t come to goal. In the end you have to recognise that Serbia deserved to win this game.”
On whether Serbia were underestimated:
“They were almost out of the game against Spain, and then they almost got into it again. It was a very good game technically, a very good team. They had good defence and fantastic goalkeeping today, they are a really good team.”
Johannes Golla (GER) – line player
On their performance in the second half:
“If we don’t reach our optimum level, a defeat like this is the logical consequence. After a good first half, we completely lost our way after the break, made many technical mistakes and missed too many shots. In addition, our defence was not as solid as in recent matches, although that was also due to the quality of the opponent. Credit to the Serbs for the way they played today.”
On the consequences of the defeat:
“What we talked about before the tournament has now happened – that you can lose a match in the group stage. Nevertheless, the tournament is not over yet; we still have the chance to qualify on the final matchday. That is what we are focusing on. Today was not good, but the world hasn’t ended.”
On the pressure they are under now against Spain:
“Of course there is pressure on us now, but that pressure was already there before the game against Serbia. If we win, we go through – and we didn’t do that. That’s why we now have our backs against the wall, but the same applies to the Spaniards and the Serbs.”
Marko Grgić (GER) – left back
On the defeat:
"The problem was that we gave up our four-goal lead in the first couple of minutes in the second half, then we missed some shots against (Dejan) Milosavljev and that was the main point. In defence, we didn't get the fouls that we wanted and this is the result of that."
On whether the defeat downs their team spirit a bit:
"We know the importance of the Spain game, we're not out yet and everything is still in and we have to give it all, maybe 110 per cent this time against Spain because they're strong, so let's see what happens on Monday."
On playing in front of so many German fans:
"Amazing, it was same like in the 2025 IHF World Championship last year, as it was not far from Germany and we're happy that like five to 6,000 found their way to Herning, and thanks to them, we will give everything for them on Monday."
CZECHIA vs NORWAY 25:29 (16:16)
Daniel Kubeš (CZE) – head coach
On his satisfaction with the performance of the team against Norway:
“We are disappointed, of course. Made a good fight tonight, played on our limit and that’s what we wanted. In the end it was not enough, but it was a big fight tonight I think.”
On the difference between the two games they played:
“Well, the situation was different, the second game in a big championship. We played better, the opponent was different as well. Maybe the Norwegian defence fits us a little bit better than France and we played really well in defence today, we got less goalkeeper play and overall we managed to play better today.”
Tomáš Mrkva (CZE) – goalkeeper
On the defeat:
“It’s bittersweet. I am really proud of the team, of the fight we gave. Maybe the game was just a little bit too long, Norway have got so many possibilities and we did not have much time to change. We lost by four goals while we were ahead in the first half and were still in the game for a long time in the second half. That hurts, but we have to quickly bounce back, as the game against Ukraine will be very important for the next World Championship qualifiers.”
On the plan Czechia had to bother Norway:
“We wanted to remain in the game for as long as possible to upset them. We had chances, and we missed some of them. For a long time, we managed to defend well and to remain within one or two goals. But once they had a three-goals advantage, it was harder for us to come back. There were only small differences between us and them tonight, but that was enough for Norway to win.”
Jonas Wille (NOR) – Norway head coach
On improving through the match:
“The most important thing for us was that we started putting the ball in the net on the clear chances. We got some saves also, and got a better structure in defence in the end. That was the three parts that were better.”
On what he said at half-time:
“We created a lot of chances in the first half too, then we missed a lot of clear chances with their good goalkeeper, so we talked a bit about that, try to be relaxed in the one-against-one situations, against their goalkeeper. That was the one thing. And structure, detail in defence, that was much better in the second half. And also we talked about continuing to keep running, keep running, so they get tired in the end.”
August Pedersen (NOR) – left wing
On the victory:
“Of course, we are really happy because we won, but also because we qualified for the main round. It was a tough battle, Czechia played much better than they did against France. In the first game, we had the opportunity to score some easy goals thanks to our defence, but this time, we were not as effective in that area of the game.
“Their goalkeeper had a lot of saves as well. But we remained focus for 60 minutes, we did not let anything affect us and, I think we played better than them in the last 15 minutes.”
On remaining focused while struggling:
“It’s easy not to be distracted in these moments, as every ball counts. I knew that every ball I had was important, so I was fully concentrated. And then, it’s just a matter of confidence. We all did our maximum and we all took responsibilities. This is what we are here for.”
On the game against France:
“This is not something we had been thinking about before tonight’s game. Now is the time to move on. We know we will have a packed house on Monday night, ready to push us in a tough game. We are qualified for the next phase, that’s the first part, but now we want to remain unbeaten.”
SWEDEN vs NETHERLANDS 36:31 (16:12)
Michael Apelgren (SWE) – Sweden head coach
On the match:
“We knew this match was a very dangerous match, but also we said to ourselves we want to go out and enjoy, and this we did. Together with the supporters in the arena, it was amazing to play.”
On the key moment for their victory:
“It’s small things. One of the things that happened was that we had this young guy coming in, Nikola Roganović, giving us energy, succeeding with almost everything; and together with the supporters and that we have a wider squad. We know that they (the Netherlands) have a very good level, but we have something in the end of the halves, it’s more hard for them.
“So when things started to go good, and the arena was extremely good also, then it was difficult to stop us.”
On using his full squad:
“It’s a big difference for us. We have also now some more young players that are here, so we are not only playing with the players that have been playing the last couple of years. This is very important for us that we can use the whole squad, and in a tournament like the EUROs it’s even more important than other tournaments. That is our chance to achieve something in this tournament.”
Mikael Appelgren (SWE) – goalkeeper
On the match:
“It was a fantastic game here in Malmö, with fantastic supporters. It is a kind of dream coming true to win the first game. It is always important to start in a tournament, though we have a great support. In the end, it is only about two points.”
On his comeback:
“I am relieved, it was my comeback on the field. I felt like a big adrenaline rush before the match, so I had to control this kick. I did not do any crazy in the goal, but it was nice.”
On the key moments:
“The Netherlands are a really good team which improved in the last couple of years. And they have a Swedish coach, Staffan Olsson, so this team is getting better and better with players in the best clubs of the world. It was a decisive moment for us when we got those three, four goals lead in the first half. It was bad for the Netherlands when Luc Steins went out of the game, but it was good for us, as we could control the match much better.”
Staffan Olsson (SWE) – Netherlands head coach
On the match:
“Overall I’m quite satisfied with the game. I think it was an interesting and good fight. We are missing some important chances in the first half already, where my feeling was that they were a little bit stiff and nervous, and we didn’t take the chances.
“Then we lost, five minutes in the first half we were losing the grip a little bit. After that we were chasing a little bit more. But we still continued to fight the whole time, even after Luc’s (Steins) red card. There are many things that I’m satisfied with, and this is only the first game in the tournament.”
On the key moment for Sweden’s win:
“The first key moment was the last five, six minutes in the first half. We didn’t have them under control, but we were quite satisfied how the game was running.
“And then they get this smaller gap for some goals, and that gave them some confidence also. Then we started chasing a little bit, that we didn’t get so many balls, and when we had the chances – we had two or three to come a little bit closer – we missed them also.
“But the last minute in the first half was quite hard for us.”
On playing in Malmö in a sold-out arena:
“Before the game it was amazing, after I didn’t feel it so good, but it’s fantastic to have the arena sold out.”
Rutger ten Velde (NED) – left wing
On the match:
“We know before the match that it will be a tight and difficult match, with this atmosphere here. We did pretty well in the beginning, we had a nice surprise with the offensive defence. Of course, it was a big loss, when we lost Luc in the first half, and then we forgot to use our speed, which is normally our advantage.”
On the next match against Croatia:
“Croatia, but also Georgia, are pretty good teams. We are looking forward to the match against Croatia, it will be a same hard game as today. I hope we can win this game and have two points before we face Georgia.”
AUSTRIA VS SPAIN 25:30 (12:19)
Iker Romero (ESP) – Austria head coach
On the defeat against Spain:
“Today Spain was better in all the options in the first half, there was a really good defence of Spain against our seven-against-six. Also their goalkeeper saved a lot of balls, clear balls. We lose a little bit of our brain in the first half. In the second half I think everything was much, much better. We are not qualified for the main round and we have to give everything in two days, a really important game against Serbia.”
On how hard it will be to motivate the players for the last match:
“That is the work for the trainer, in the good moments everybody is happy and is easy to motivate, now is my work to do that.”
Tobias Wagner (AUT) – line player
On the defeat against Spain:
“We had pretty high expectations after the draw and ahead of the tournament. We didn’t play that bad, but when we are not all on our top level, then we have no chance against Germany or Spain. For example against Germany it was me, and today were other players, so this is an easy conclusion why we lose these two games.”
On what he expects from the next match:
“We have to win it because if we win it we’ll get an easier opening for the World Championship qualification. This is our goal and the most important thing is we stay together as a team.”
Elias Kofler (AUT) – centre back
On the defeat:
"They were a better team than us today, they played a really good match and we didn't get intensity in defence like we did last game. I think Sergey Hernández saved every second ball of ours and it's difficult for us to win this game."
On whether their team's spirit is crushed a bit after the two losses:
"Yes, for sure, and we wish that we've won this game and had a big finale against Serbia, but unfortunately that's not the case. However, we have a national team game for our country in two days and we have to do everything for our country to win."
On the team's performance in the first two games:
"We are not happy, in the first game against Germany we played a good game and lost, but today we were just not good enough and that's not enough and we are definitely not happy."
Ian Barrufet (ESP) – left wing
On the win:
"We are so happy and with the group that we have, we had to fight until the end in all the games and played against two really good teams already and now we are thinking about Germany."
On whether the team's performance will continue to improve:
"I don't know if things will be good or bad, but what I'm sure about is that we will fight until the end and we will prove this quality that we have."
On their final match in group B, against Germany:
"We have been excited about this match since many months ago, but we are already through two really hard games. Now we have Germany, that we think is one of the top national teams in the world, and we will fight until the end against them."
Ian Tarrafeta (ESP) – centre back
On how happy he is with the performance of the team today:
“So happy, it’s been a game a bit like the one against Serbia. First half we dominate and the second half their keeper did a lot of saves that put us in difficulty at the end. But it’s always the same with Spain, we have issues with everybody, it’s hard to win every game, but we are so happy with these four points now.”
On the next match, against Germany:
“I’ve seen a lot of Germans here in the arena, so it’ll be hard for us. We were thinking first against Serbia, after with Austria and now we are going to start thinking about Germany. It’s going to be a day of rest, of video analysis, so we’ll see, looking forward.”
FRANCE vs UKRAINE 46:26 (12:24)
Vadym Brazhnyk (UKR) – head coach
On whether his players delivered as expected against France:
“We were preparing very seriously. We understood who was against us at the European Championship. Also they had two squads and that was key today.”
On the mental aspect in games like this:
“We were inspired before the games, it’s an opportunity for us to play against teams [with] such level, like the Olympic Championship and European Championship as titles.”
Ihor Turchenko (UKR) – left back
On the defeat:
“We enjoyed 15 minutes of the game, but I’d say that the last 45 minutes were a little bit painful. We played very well, actually, in the first part of the game, especially defensively. We recovered a lot of balls, managed to score fast breaks. But we should have played like that for 60 minutes if we wanted to take more points.”
On the experience Ukraine could get from that kind of game:
“It can’t be a bad thing to play against the best teams in the world, as we did against France and Norway. But it’s really hard to tell yourself that when you have just lost by 20. I am sure it will be a benefit on the long run, but it’s a bit far away from us at the moment.”
Oleksandr Onufriienko (UKR) – line player
On whether the game against France matched his expectations:
“Of course it’s hard to expect a win against the current champion of the EURO, but we expect the best game we can and maybe today we had a lot of mistakes, but we want to show our best game here.”
On the positive aspects he takes after the game:
“Big experience for us, because we play against the best players in the world. We check how they play, what they do, how they play one-on-one, the play in defence, maybe we take something for ourselves.”
Guillaume Gille (FRA) – head coach
On the victory:
“We had a large win, we remained serious throughout the whole game and we managed to have all 15 players to play. We rested Aymeric Minne a little bit, because I am sure that we will need him for the next games. Now, we are heading towards the first corner in this competition, the game against Norway, and we are very excited to see where we are at.”
On the first quarter of the game:
“No matter how hard you try, sometimes it is hard to concentrate when the game is uneven on paper. Maybe that is what happened, but the thing that I want to keep is the reaction, how the substitutes helped us with their intensity and their energy and how, within 15 minutes, we managed to take a 12-goal advantage.”
On what he said on his first timeout:
“When you have such good players, they know exactly that they are not playing very good and you don’t need to say much. I just told them to be stronger defensively, I put some other players on the court and, little by little, things turned around.”
Melvyn Richardson (FRA)
On the match:
“It was a good game for us. We are happy with the result. Everybody played good, everybody played, everybody’s in good health, which is the most important for us.
“At the beginning it was a little bit hard for us. We missed some shots. Still, we had a good reaction, and after we finished the game really good. It’s really positive for the next. Now we have to have a good rest and prepare for the next game, because it will be a really tough game.”
On the next match, against Norway:
“Our goal is always to be better and better every game. The result was good for us, but I think the next game against Norway will be really difficult. But if we come with our strength I hope we will be ready physically and mentally, and we’ll see that we are.”
Ludovic Fabregas (FRA) – line player
On what he said to his teammates on the first timeout:
“I wish I did not have to say anything, but I felt like not everyone was on the same page, that we lacked collectively some intensity and that we needed a boost. What I want to remember, though, is the reaction we had afterwards, how we did not make the same mistakes in the second half and how we managed to have a good game afterwards.”
On playing against Norway in the last game in Oslo:
“It is exciting because we will see exactly where we are and what we are capable of. It is always a great moment to play such a nation in front of its fans. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere, but it’s also an important game for us, as we need the points ahead of the main round.”
Thibaud Briet (FRA) – left back
On the victory:
“We enjoyed the game, we all managed to play and score and this is very satisfying. But I guess that the real thing is coming to us now, with that game against Norway in two days. No offence to anyone, but we managed to win the games we were supposed to win, and quite easily. I expect Norway to be a completely different matter.”
On France beating the records for biggest EHF EURO win:
“I did not even know and I could not care less. It’s an anecdote to me, nothing else. It’s not really important. If we do fine, but I wanted the team to progress through tonight’s game and it did, that’s the most important.”
CROATIA vs GEORGIA 32:29 (15:14)
Dagur Sigurdsson (ISL) – Croatia head coach
On the match:
“The first game is always tricky. It took us a long time to find our feet. We were six goals back, but after that I think we control the game a little bit better.
“In the second half we were stronger, even though we missed a lot of good chances. Also the first half, a lot of technical errors.”
On their win:
“In the end it was experience. We got the defence a little bit better, and got some balls. That was the key factor.”
On the next games:
“We want to do better in all departments – fast breaks, and running back. Defence and offence. Everything must be a little bit better, coming up (against) strong teams in every game. We have to do better ourselves and see what that brings.”
Ivan Martinović (CRO) – right back
On the match:
“Respect to Georgia, how they played the 60 minutes. It was a really bad start from us. We played a little bit like a cramp, we didn’t find solutions, everybody was doing it on his own and we didn’t play like a team.
“Thankfully with our fans we didn’t gave up, we fight until the end, and at the end we win well-deserved.”
On their comeback:
“We know that nowadays every country in the European championship plays really good fast handball, and they saw our mistakes.
“But with our fans we didn’t want to give up. We have experienced players, we gave 10 per cent more, and goal by goal we found solutions.”
On what they need to improve:
“Everything.”
Nikoloz Kalandadze (GEO) – left back
On the defeat:
“Of course we are disappointed, because the start was very good for us. It was obvious that we had some turnovers and everything, but it’s part of the game.
“But I’m so proud of my team, because we gave everything. Four or five players had the cramps, but we did our best.
“I’m really proud of me, because it’s my first game in the EURO, and we tried our best. We showed, not the first time, that we can play everyone. We will try to qualify (from) this group.”
On when they were leading by six goals:
“Of course it was a surprise, but we are here to win all games. We came here to win against Croatia, against everyone. It was a surprise, but not too much.”
On why Croatia won:
“They have more experience, because we’re still a young team – I think we are the youngest team in the EURO – so game by game we get experience, game by game we are better every game. We have to learn, we have to experience every game.”
Photo © Kolektiff Images
