Men's EHF EURO 2026 flash quotes: 27 January

HERNING – Comments from players and coaches at media calls in Men's EHF EURO 2026 main round group I on Tuesday.

FRANCE

Ludovic Fabregas (FRA) – line player

On the team’s mindset after their loss to Spain:

“We were disappointed by what we produced on the court and, of course, by the result. We now have a lot of determination, we are focus on the game tomorrow against Germany, which will be a real quarter-final. We have a lot of motivation, we will have to play much better if we want to qualify.

“Yesterday, we were given a warning, we did not play enough to win anyway. On the other hand, we have to know that we have been playing really good since the beginning of the competition. But yesterday shows us that when we are not playing 200 per cent, we pay for it in cash. Yesterday, we were minus 7 at the 40th minute, that says it all.”

On the last game France played against Germany at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:

“I just want the outcome to be different and for us to win against Germany. Some still have the scars from this game. It’s surprising, in a way, to play against them now, in a do-or-die game. It’s not really a quarter-final, but for us, it is one.

“We have a lot of quality within the team, but we have to show them, all at the same time. We must have the good intentions, we must have a crazy energy. Just like we did at the Olympics, except the result was not there.”

On Germany:

“They are a very solid team, with very good goalkeepers and a tough defence. I feel like they made some small changes to be even more solid defensively. On the offensive side of things, they have a lot of shooters, they play really fast, with a lot of players changing positions. They seem to be a dominant team in the way they handle the ball.

“Against Denmark yesterday, they played 40 minutes on a very high level, and then Emil Nielsen decided the game. On thing is for sure, tomorrow is not going to be fun.”

GERMANY

Alfred Gislason (ISL) – head coach:

On the match against France:

“The game against France will be a 50:50 contest, a real final for a place in the semi-finals. It’s a match we’ve been wanting for months. We knew that we would have to beat some very good teams to get into this position, and we knew that we would have to beat either Denmark or France to reach the semi-finals.

“Now we’ve lost to Denmark, but we’re still optimistic. We played well, but Denmark had the better shooting efficiency. Now we have a second chance against France, and the French are not far off the quality of the Danes. So we have to build on what we did well against Denmark: defence, goalkeeping and our retreat defence. Tomorrow, however, we must place our shots better.”

On the victorious Olympic quarter-final in Lille as a reference point:

“That win was very special and helped this team move forward, but it doesn’t count anymore today. The players know they can beat France, but we are a different team compared to August 2024 – we’ve developed further. France are also a slightly different team now, so for me that quarter-final doesn’t really matter anymore, even though it was a fantastic match.”

On the substitutions against Denmark:

“Andi Wolff had played a lot beforehand, and David Späth is a top-class goalkeeper, so it wasn’t a problem – they complemented each other perfectly. It was similar with the two wings: Lukas Mertens and Lukas Zerbe had played a lot, around 80 per cent of the minutes over seven games. Both came out of the match against Norway with minor injuries and some issues. So we didn’t want to put all our eggs in one basket – now both of them are a bit fresher for tomorrow.”

On stopping France’s fast-paced handball:

“We need a stable defence and strong goalkeepers. Against France recently, we also ran some good fast breaks of our own. We have to stop France’s quick throw-off and their second wave. We managed that for one half against Denmark. But we cannot afford 23 missed shots like we had against Denmark.”

On France’s stars:

“The French are very strong in depth and very experienced. People always mention Dika Mem and Ludovic Fabregas first – they represent absolute world class – but behind them, in their positions, there are also world-class players like Melvyn Richardson and Nicolas Tournat. At this EURO, Aymeric Minne and Thiebaut Briet are playing extremely well, and France have outstanding wingers.”

Nils Lichtlein (GER) – centre back

On his flexible roles in the team:

“I see myself more in the back court – right or centre, it doesn’t really matter. Suddenly I became an option for right wing, so you practise a few shots beforehand. And now I’m also responsible for the seven-metre throws. This flexibility is an advantage for me.”

On France:

“They are a physically strong team in defence and attack. In the end, their defeat against Spain isn’t decisive. Their fate would have been decided against us anyway. It’s ‘do or die’ for both teams – everything is at stake for both.”

On the eight million TV viewers in Germany for the match against Denmark:

“We don’t really notice that here. But those numbers are the reason why we became professional handball players. It’s amazing when a whole nation is behind you. And it’s great that we can be an inspiration for many young handball players.”

Matthis Häseler (GER) – right wing

On the match against Denmark:

“The atmosphere really pushed me, I was really up for the game. Of course we would have liked to win, but now our full focus is on France. Maybe there’ll be a few neutral fans in the arena supporting us.”

On his role against Denmark:

“I was pleased to play 60 minutes. I was able to help the team quite well, and that made me very happy.”

On watching the Olympic quarter-final against France:

“Funnily enough, I watched the match in the dressing room with my French teammate Kentin Mahé. It was an incredible game – hopefully tomorrow’s match will have the same ending.”

On stopping France’s high-scoring attack:

“We need to get into our fast game, help the goalkeeper with an aggressive and compact defence, and then push forward at pace.”

On a draw being enough for the semi-finals:

“In handball, you can’t play for a draw, so we want to win the game. France are a world-class team, but we can go into the match with confidence because we know we can beat them. We know our strengths, and we have to bring them onto the court.”

PORTUGAL

Paulo Pereira (POR) – Portugal head coach

On Portugal’s mindset:

“The game yesterday, we could have lost it, we could have won it. But I want to keep that we fought all the time, even though we were not in the best physical form, even though it was a tough game. The mentality that we displayed was very good. Of course, this is not the result that we would have wanted, but I really want to think of the positive.”

On still having something to play for in the EHF EURO:

“Of course we are disappointed because we can not go through to the semi-finals, but we really want to make something out of the game we have left. We want to play it as seriously as possible, with as much determination as possible, in order to have the best chances to play the 5/6 place game. It is not entirely in our hands, but we want to have no regrets at the end of the game.”

On the importance of the 5/6 placement match:

“On many regards it is important for us. We can have the best result ever at the EURO, and after a fourth place at the World Championship last year, this would be a satisfaction. We might play against some other great team like Croatia or Iceland, and it would show that Portugal are really among the teams that count in handball right now. Also, if we can qualify for the World Championship directly and not go through some qualifications, it would also be better for us.”

On the tactical options Spain could display against Portugal:

“They have a lot of them, and it’s hard to work on all of them just in one day. As a coach, it’s exciting, because it brings something new. But it is hard, because I think that they do everything really well, especially defensively.

“They have so many options, they have so many ways to trick their opponents that you have to adapt constantly. They change their system a lot, even in the middle of the same game, which is what makes them so strong.”

Salvador Salvador (POR) – left back

On Portugal still having something to play for ahead of the last main round game:

“It’s the ultimate proof that this main round has just been crazy. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for us. One day, you are out, the next day, you can still play for something, the next day you are out, and then you end up, before the last game, telling yourself that you can still make it the 5/6 game. Every team has been like that, I think, like France and Norway as well. It’s really important for us that we finish well.”

On the motivation for Portugal to win the game against Spain:

“Portugal’s best result at the EURO was sixth, and we said at the start of the preparation that we wanted to do better. So our smallest objective was to qualify for the game for the fifth and sixth place. Here we are, and we can play to finish fifth and for our best result at the EURO. Not only is it important to qualify for the World Championship, but it’s also important for us that we have the best result possible.”

On Spain, their forthcoming opponent:

“They showed against France how much quality they have. They have a lot of tactical options, they can play so many defences and they can really trick their opponents. I think that Abel Serdio is the best line player of the tournament, they have many options on the back court as well, they can play with big players, smaller ones. They will be really dangerous opponents.”

On how to motivate for the next game after playing handball for the past three weeks:

“It’s hard and easy at the same time. We all want to escape from the tournament, have a rest day, as we have been playing every two days for almost a month now.

“But in the meantime, we are still playing handball in front of sold out arenas, we play against the best teams in the world. We are representing our countries, so we have to fight for that. It’s not easy every morning, but we have still something to play for, it’s a good motivation to wake up in the morning.”

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