Iceland’s shot at winning the Handball World Championship was dashed in Germany last night when Danes made it to the semi-finals after beating Iceland by one goal, 42-41, in a nerve-wracking ten-minute game extension.
Iceland was the stronger team in the first half of the game. At half-time the score was 17-16 for Iceland. In the second half, the Danes came back stronger and led by four goals at one point. Ruv.is reports.
Iceland, however, managed to even out the scores. At the last minute of the game Snorri Steinn Gudjónsson of the Icelandic team scored from a penalty throw, making the final score 34-34, and adding ten more minutes to the game.
The extension was dead equal and very exciting. Iceland came close to winning when leading by one goal, 41-40, towards the end of the extension. But Denmark managed to score two goals in the last minute and made it to the semi-finals.
Snorri Steinn Gudjónsson played superbly and saved Iceland from losing again and again. He scored 15 goals and was chosen the man of the game.
“I don’t know what to say […] we were really unlucky and that is how it happens sometimes. It was really painful to lose this game,” said Gudjónsson in an interview with RÚV.
“There is no bright point about this game, we lost. […] It wouldn’t have mattered whether I had scored 15 or 25 goals. This is terribly disappointing,” Gudjónsson said.
Iceland plays for the 5th to 8th place in the World Championship against Russia tomorrow.
