STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -
Denmark became the first team in history to win the International Handball Federation (IHF) Men’s World Championship title three times in a row after beating Olympic champions France 34-29 in the final.
A 10-goal outing from Rasmus Lauge Schmidt and nine goals from Simon Pytlick powered Denmark to a historic victory in the biennial world handball flagship event.
With Pytlick delivering three goals in the first four minutes and goalkeeper Niklas Landin saving two of the first three shots, the reigning world champions took an early 6-2 lead and jumped to a five-goal lead at 12-7 after 15 minutes.
Denmark had the slightest of leads at 16-15 at the break before bouncing back with a 3-0 unanswered run to take a three-goal lead once again.
Landin saved Melvyn Richardson’s penalty with two minutes left, keeping Denmark with a three-goal lead at 32-29, which proved to be unassailable.
Earlier on Sunday, Spain won bronze with a 39-36 victory over co-hosts Sweden.