Men's EHF EURO 2026 flash quotes: 18 January

HERNING/OSLO/MALMÖ – Comments from players and coaches at media calls at the Men's EHF EURO 2026 on Sunday.

FRANCE

Guillaume Gille (FRA) – France head coach

On playing Norway on Monday:

“The context will be special, as we will be playing Norway in Norway, and that will be a little bit more than just a preliminary round game. The fact that there are points at stake turn this game into something maybe a little bit more important. We understand the fact that every point counts, every point will count going into the main round.”

On being excited for the game against Norway as a coach:

“It’s a real challenge for me, I feel privileged to be on the bench for these kind of moments. We will not only play against the Norwegian team, but also against thousands of fans. This is the moment we are all waiting for and that we live for. We want to be the stone in Norway’s shoe.”

On the lack of experience France might have in this situation:

“It’s the same for Norway, they have a lot of young players as well. Does that make them any less dangerous? Of course, no. It’s going to be exciting for every one of us and I am sure that the young players in our ranks have the possibility to pass the challenge.”

On preparing for the main round:

“This is a work we do all year long so we already have images on all the opponents we can play against. And it’s something that we update daily, with all the games that have been played in the preparation and since the beginning of the EURO.

“Of course, there are new players, new ways of playing in the last games from our future opponents. It’s a massive work, our staff here and in Paris do not sleep much, but it’s an very important part of the performance.”

Ludovic Fabregas (FRA) – line player

On the game against Norway on Monday:

“The results give us confidence, especially given what we showed in the first two games. But the game against Norway is really important for the rest of the competition. It might be the first corner and it might give us the first indication of where we are in this competition.

“To me, this game is the first main round one, as the winner will take two points in Herning. In my opinion, the preliminary round is over. The challenge will be a huge one for us, playing Norway in Norway will not be easy.”

On the dynamics within team France:

“A lot of good things are happening, you saw that on the court but it’s also outside of the group. The team has moved forward within the last year and a half. We have lived through some things now together, and of course, you can feel it on the court. It helps us play better and to make this team grow.”

On the fact France scored more than 40 times in the first two games:

“We worked a lot offensively, we made a lot of progress as well. It’s always nice to score a lot of games, especially on transition and fast breaks. It’s due to the quality within the squad, of course. But the better the opponents will be, harder it will be to score goals. We want to play fast, this is our game plan, and that’s what we must keep doing. We have to maximise this, so the games are easier for us.”

On Norway, France’s next opponents:

“They played some interesting games, but they struggled a little bit more yesterday. But tomorrow, the game will be special as both teams are already qualified for the second round. We have to focus on ourselves, we have to play the way we want to, no matter the atmosphere or anything else. We have to play tough right from throw-off so we avoid any trouble.”

Dylan Nahi (FRA) – left wing

On the game against Norway on Monday:

“We have the possibility to finish first, but we will be playing Norway in Oslo, and we expect a tough game. To play in front of a hostile crowd is another motivation. It’s different because if feels like you’re playing against an entire country. But we love this kind of atmosphere, we love playing these games.”

On the competition format and looking forward to the main round:

“Every game is a tough one, tomorrow we will play against one of the best nations in the world, we are focus on this. We don’t look ahead so much. I have not looked to the main round so far, the game tomorrow is the most important , every game will be hard.”

On playing against Sander Sagosen:

“Sander is a former teammate, a friend as well, and we both love to talk a little bit on the court. When you play for your country, the motivation is always different, a little big bigger, especially in those high-profile games.

“But what happens on the court, remains on the court, that’s the most important. I give everything for France, he will do the same for Norway. I don’t plan on doing anything, and we will see what happens. I have nothing planned.”

Charles Bolzinger (FRA) – goalkeeper

On playing against Norway:

“It is going to be a great moment, playing in Norway against Norway will be super interesting. Playing this kind of games will give us many emotions, good or bad. I expect it to be as intense as the game against Croatia in the World Championship last year.”

On the experience he took from the 2025 World Championship:

“There were a lot of emotions, but that helped me to know where I was. Like, I know I can do that, at this moment, and some others things I have to make progress on. The context is something I learnt to deal with, I guess I am better at it now. I have to focus on my performance and to block out the noise outside, even though it’s hard when the fans are blowing trumpets meters from your ears.”

On the memories he has from the Unity Arena:

“When I went in the arena on the first day, of course I remembered that last save against Portugal. But this is a new competition, another context. What I thought about more is the fact that the save I made then was not really an academic one, and it kind of matches my personality. It’s what I am best, to be within some kind of boundaries but also do things a little bit differently.”

On sharing the same teammates with France as with his club:

“It helps, it’s kind of a safety net but also, we know each other pretty well. It makes it easier to work because we know each other really well. It helps blocking out the noise, as we said earlier. He knows me, I know him and when there are tough moments, it’s easier to have someone you know by your side.”

SWEDEN

Patrik Fahlgren (SWE) – Sweden assistant coach

On beating the Netherlands in a sold-out arena:

“It was an amazing night. Everyone was a bit nervous for the first game. It's hard to know exactly where you stand, how good are you, and we had the biggest respect for the Netherlands, but we came out with a win and in front of our fans.”

On the pressure:

“I'm pleased with the team and the players how they performed. It's not that easy to play this game. From inside the team and also from outside a team, there is a lot of pressure on the guys to perform and to win. And they did it and they did it really well.”

On the next game, against Georgia:

“I watched part of the game against Croatia and I'm about to watch the whole game now after the break. They played really, really well and maybe better than a lot of people thought before the game. They showed us what they can do, so it will be a hard game.”

On the key to early control:

“We have to perform as well as we did against the Netherlands. Also, they have a lot of quality in the back players, so we have to control that. If we manage to do that, maybe we can get some easy goals in counter attacks and that could be the key.”

Lukas Sandell (SWE) – right back

On starting the EHF EURO with a win:

“It was really important for us. It was a key game for us. And it was a lot outside — home court and a lot of family and friends, so it was really nice to have a good feeling after the game.”

On the game against the Netherlands:

“They started with a 3-3- defence, we weren't prepared for that. So maybe it gave us a little bit of stress in the beginning, but I think actually we came in to game OK. And then after 15 minutes, we started to make two, three goals up, and then after that, I feel like we had control over the game.”

On the next game, against Georgia:

“They put everything on the court, so I think they will do exactly the same tomorrow against us. So it will be really hard for us. On the paper, we have the better team, but on the court, everything can happen. We have to be prepared. They will put the heart on the court, so we have to do the same.”

On Georgia's main strengths:

“They play as a team. They fight for each other really hard. So that's really important, and that's the way to play humble, to play as a team, and I think they did it you really good against Croatia.”

Hampus Wanne (SWE) – left wing

On playing in front of 11,800 fans:

“When I started playing for the national team almost 10 years ago now, we played mostly in small arenas and so on, and now everywhere we play in Sweden, it is sold out. The game against the Netherlands was no exception. It's amazing. You need to enjoy it as well, because there's a lot of pressure that comes with it. You need to enjoy it more than you feel pressure.”

On the match against the Netherlands:

“It felt quick. We ran a lot. The Netherlands is a really tough opponent, especially in an opening game. But I believe we held our composure all through the game. We had our game plan and we went through with it.”

On the game against Georgia:

“You can't underestimate anyone. I mean, they almost beat Croatia yesterday and Croatia is one of the biggest nations. So we won't underestimate them. I can promise you that.

“But it's great the handball is growing. Some years ago, no one was talking about Netherlands, or look at Portugal now. Now Georgia is also playing great. It's positive that this new nations are really starting to play, and play well. With that said, we're going to do our best to beat them.”

On what Sweden can improve:

“Everything. We only played one game and we have been waiting for this for more than two weeks. So in the beginning it so much feelings and tension, and as the tournament goes on, maybe you'll loosen that a little bit. We just need to keep believing in the game plans that we make and just fight with heart, then we know we can go a long way.”

On Sweden's full squad:

“There's also a thing that I believe it's important that in team sport, for all the players (to) know their role. Then it's much easier to focus before the game and you know what the coaches and the team are expecting from you. And now it feels like we got that.

“We have so many games in such a short period of time that if you only play with like seven players, they're going be dead after the three games, because handball goes so quick now. It's been evolving very quickly. We need to use all our guys.”

SPAIN

Agustín Casado (ESP) – left back

On their chances of the main round:

“After the match against Austria, we were very happy and we had a good feeling after the victory. But after Serbia’s win, the feelings were different. We played two great games, but we are still not through to the main round, as we still need another top match to proceed. This is a difficult situation, but we have confidence and we have it in our hands.”

On their team depth:

“We need everybody. We do not have many superstars, so everybody counts. All players help us in attack, in defence, in the goal, in the staff. We are on a good way in finding the strengths. We are working very well right now. And I am sure we can do it again.”

On the importance of goalkeepers in the upcoming match against Germany:

“It is really important to have Sergey (Hernández) behind us, but we have (Andreas) Wolff in front. We know him, he knows us. The goalkeepers from us and Germany have shown great games here.”

On Spain’s historical advantage against Germany:

“In sport, statistic looks quite important, but for us players it does not matter. In the end, it is only important, when you are field. Germany beat us twice at Olympic Games in the last duels, tomorrow we want to turn it around and to beat them. We want to continue in the main round, we need to face more top opponents to gain experience.”

GEORGIA

Tite Kalandadze (GEO) – head coach

On Georgia's performance against Croatia:

“Two days ago, if someone had told us that we would lose to the Croatians by three goals and in the last three minutes, I would have been happy. But this game showed us that we are capable of more and that this should be the case so that we can demand more from ourselves.”

On the next game, against Sweden:

“It is very difficult to talk about one of the favourites of the tournament, especially since they are playing in their own walls. Also, a lot depends on how we prepare physically, we want to show that we are a fighting team, that we can play beautifully and creatively. Tomorrow we will do everything we can.”

Giorgi Dikhaminjia (GEO) – right wing

On Georgia's play:

“We must continue to play in a disciplined and team-oriented way. The match against Croatia once again proved that we can perform well and achieve victory against any opponent. From this game, I would highlight our team spirit and the fight until the very last second.”

On the game against Sweden:

“Playing in a packed arena will be a big motivation for our team, it will be a very difficult match for us. but am confident in myself and in every one of my teammates, just like in the first match, no one will hold back, and we will give the Swedish fans an exciting game to watch.”

GERMANY

Alfred Gislason (ISL) – Germany head coach

On their chances against Spain:

“We will give everything to beat Spain. That is anything but easy, because Spain are the team that have performed best in our group. If we want to progress, we have to repeat the two Olympic miracles. We beat them in Paris and Lille.”

On his timeout against Serbia, which avoided a goal:

“We did a lot of things wrong. But I cost us the point with my timeout shortly before the end. I looked at the clock, Juri (Knorr) was quicker than I thought. That goal would have helped us enormously — that mistake cost the team at least one point. In the final minute, we were aware that every goal mattered, and we addressed that. Afterwards, you always know more.”

On Spain’s strengths:

“They have very experienced players, big talents coming through behind them, and above all the veterans work extremely well together. Against their strong defence, we have to use our heads — the Spaniards are seasoned and very good technically. We’ll need a top-class performance, with a lot of heart and even more intelligence.”

Johannes Golla (GER) – line player

On the match against Spain:

“We beat Spain twice at the Olympics, but on Monday everything starts from zero. Spain have pressure, we have pressure, both teams have quality, and we don’t need to hide. We’re confident enough to play the handball we’ve shown recently. With the right attitude, we can bring that onto the court even better. It’s a final, we have a lot to gain. And I’m optimistic because we have the quality in this team.”

SERBIA

Mijajlo Marsenić (SRB) – line player

On the victory against Germany:

“It was an outstanding match. When you win a game like that, it’s much easier to fall asleep than after a defeat, and you simply feel better. But we haven’t achieved anything yet. We’ve taken one step closer to our goal, the main round – nothing more.

“Now we have to win our final against Austria. Against Germany, we believed in ourselves more than against Spain, and that was decisive. We played really well right to the end and stayed cool. In the second half, we played one of the best halves of my national team career.”

On calming down the German fans:

“When I came onto the court and saw all the German fans, I thought we were playing in Berlin or Magdeburg. It was amazing to see how many fans were there. It always motivates me even more when there are lots of spectators in the arena — especially when 99.9 per cent of them are against me. I love that. In the end, they were a bit quieter.”

On the chances against Austria:

“We are not the favourites against Austria, because those matches are always the most dangerous. We have a final, we want to progress, and we’ll have to play even better than against Germany, because Austria are a really good team with a lot of quality.”

AUSTRIA

Tobias Wagner (AUT) – line player

On their chances of proceeding to the main round:

“Serbia did us a favour yesterday, but for us relatively little changes. We have to win this match. First and foremost, it’s about qualifying for the World Championship. We absolutely want to avoid the pre-qualification, otherwise we’ll get a very unpleasant opponent in the second round. Only then will we look at what our final result also means for the EURO.”

On the positive takeaways from the last match:

“The realisation from the first two matches is that every one of us needs one hundred per cent in every game. If we have one or two absences, we have no chance of beating a team like Germany or Spain. It will be the same against Serbia – we’ll need a 100 per cent performance.”

On their final game:

“It was clear from the start that this is a very balanced group. Spain and Germany are the two strongest teams in the group. But no one expected the situation to look like it does now. We want to win – we’ll see everything else afterwards.”

CZECHIA

Daniel Kubeš (CZE) – CZE head coach

On Saturday's game against Norway:

“I felt like we played to our limit and I have nothing but good things to say about our game. I told my guys not to be scared, to play how they know to, and that’s what we did. The feeling is completely different to when we played against France, because then I had the feeling we did not play. This time was completely different.”

On why Czechia struggle to win games against big nations:

“We were not clutch enough in the key moments of the game, we missed two important seven meters throws, we did not defend well on a couple of occasions. But in the meantime, it felt like we struggled physically, five players had muscle problems at the end of the game. We were all really tired at the end of the game.”

On how to improve physically:

“I think our players have to go and play in higher leagues. Or if they want to keep playing in the Czech league, they have to work harder. When you play in France or in Germany, you are used to such efforts and when you come to the national team, it feels normal. As well as, when you play in these leagues, playing against the best players in the world is not a highlight anymore.”

On the game against Ukraine on Monday:

“It’s really important to reward ourselves with a victory and to go home with a smile on our face, even if it is a little one. We have been in the preparation for a while so losing all three games would be a huge disappointment. This will be tough, though, as Ukraine will be in the exact same mindset. We have to be prepared for a big fight.”

Tomáš Mrkva (CZE) – goalkeeper

On Saturday’s defeat:

“It is still bittersweet, because our goal was to progress to the main round, and we did not. But we have to think ahead, the game tomorrow is important for the World Championship qualification, it is important we win this last game as well. It was hard to sleep yesterday night, we were so disappointed. So it has been a short night, but we will try to forget the disappointment and move on.”

On the pride he, as a captain, has for his team:

“I’m very proud because we played a game on a very high level and we showed that we could match with a team as Norway. Maybe we were a little bit starstruck in the first game against France, but now it is different. All we lacked is experience, we only have two or three guys playing in the best leagues in the world. After 50 minutes, you could feel that we were struggling physically, because we are not used to such high intensity games.”

On the benefits the young Czech players could take from the EHF EURO:

“A lot, but this is something we will know in the future. I guess that it shows us the difference there is between the high level and the very high level, and how much we have to work if we want to catch up with the best nations, especially individually.”

NETHERLANDS

Staffan Olsson (SWE) – Netherlands head coach

On the game against Sweden:

“When I watched the game afterwards, the key minutes were the last seven minutes in the first half. We were a little bit confused after the red card for Luc Steins. And then we were losing some easy balls. So I think that was the key minute for this game. Until then, we were fighting really good and also it was equal at that time.

“We didn't come close enough in the second half, but if you're looking at it, I don't know if you can say that Sweden controlled it. We lost with one goal the second half, and we had, some small chances, but we didn't take them.”

On the next game, against Croatia:

“I'm sure that they are a better team than they were showing against Georgia. It was the first game for them also, and everybody knows that the first game is a little bit unsure. Georgia was maybe surprising them a little bit, I'm quite sure that we lose see another team against us, and we know that they are a really good team. They play quite physical 6-0 defence, with tall players, and also in the attack they have shooting power, especially right and left back. We will need to play strong in defence and used it for counter attacks.”

On the game itself:

“It will be interesting to see in which direction the game will go — our fast game, or theirs.”

Lars Kooij (NED) – line player

On the game against Sweden:

“We started the game actually really good. We wanted to surprise Sweden in the beginning with a short three-three. We had some good action in that, but every time we had made a steal, Sweden got the free throw. Overall we made a good start.

“After 20 minutes, we missed a couple of shots and got that red card. It was a little bit a sad moment to say, but in the end, we have still such good players.  We have new players, and still, after the red card, we still managed to play actually really good.

“At the beginning of the second half, we also missed some shots and made some technical faults. That's why we became six, five goals behind, but over the whole second half, we fought as a team, tried to get close, but every time we saved the ball, we also missed the ball in front, so that's why it stayed like this.

“On the other hand we played against one of the best teams in the world with one of the best players in the world, and still we managed to play a good game. For us to surprise and to make a win against Sweden, everything had to fit perfectly for us, and it didn't last night.”

On comparing the Netherlands and Croatia:

“When we look at both our teams, Croatia and the Netherlands, I saw one statistic that Croatia are one of the tallest players of the whole tournament, while we are at the 16th place or something. So it's also what you see in a different playing style. Croatia uses more power, more long distance shots.

"We don't use long distance shots, we go for the one against one, we want to breakthroughs and shots from pivot. Croatia plays more two against two, we more one against one. We use way more speed. We have to use this in our advantage, to look if we can overrun them with our speed and try to make some goals with that.”

Luc Steins (NED) – centre back

On his red card against Georgia:

 “It was hard to watch the match from the stands. We were fully prepared for this game. We hoped to play an amazing game and yeah, personally, it's hard to sit down on the stand and watch your team and not be able to help them.”

On the defeat against Sweden:

“Overall, my team did an amazing fight over in the second part of the game. Unfortunately, we couldn't make life more difficult for Sweden. We kept fighting for 60 minutes even though the control was at one moment, maybe too much in hands of Sweden. Now, we have to look forward and have to win to be able to go through.”

On the game against Croatia:

“Croatia has an amazing team with great players that are playing in top European clubs. They all have experience of playing at the highest level. It will be a tough game for us especially as Croatia are one of the favourites at this tournament.

“However, last few games we played against them we had some good results, as we didn't lose in last three games against them. So we have to be confident. We know that with the game we play, the handball we play, we can make life difficult for every team.”

On how to beat Croatia:

“We have to make good saves and good stops and defence. If we have strong defence and don't get 36 goals against us and we have some saves, and we can run maybe fast breaks to make some easy goals, then we have a chance. If we don't manage to get some saves and we always have to fight against the strong defence from Croatia, then probably it will be a tough one for us.”

On his Croatian teammate Mateo Maraš from Paris Saint-Germain:

“For sure, yes, he will give insights about me to his team, but I will also tell my team about him and Croatia, don't worry.”

CROATIA

Denis Špoljarić (CRO) – Croatia assistant coach

On a tough opener against Georgia:

“I said before the game, like it is with us in the past 30 years, it's going to be tough. Not physically, but mentally. You have to switch from preparation period and training to competition mode and it's not easy and simple. Of course, I didn't expect it to be as tough as it was, but it is past us. Now we have to think about the Netherlands.”

On what they need to improve:

“We have to be more careful in the attack, not make careless mistakes and give them easy balls because they are very fast. They have three, four players who can run and can punish from fast breaks.

“We must be concentrated as we missed too many shots from made actions, and most important, we need to have a better defence. Tougher and more dense. I hope we will win and then have confidence to play against Sweden.”

On how to stop the Netherlands:

“We will have to stop Luc Steins. Maybe if he can get a red card again.  

“On a more serious side, we have few combinations how to stop them, maybe 5-1 defence, but if Steins will be the main problems, we already have some options against him. The main thing is to return to defence as fast as possible, if our defence is ready, it's going to be a tough challenge for them.”

On the 5-1 defence:

“We didn't have a plan of showing our 5-1 defence already against Georgia, we had a plan to play 6-0 throughout, but we had to do it. But, at the ned of the day, everyone knows that's our strength and no one will have it easy.”

Josip Šimić (CRO) – line player

On the game against Georgia:

“Our technical faults and missed back court shots backfired, as Georgia were able to punish them easily. We have to calm down and slow down when things do not go our way.”

On how the Netherlands play:

“They play incredibly fast. We have to stop that and not allow them to make fast transitions. That's where we do most mistakes. And watch out for the goalkeeper (Matthias Rex Dorgelo), who had a good game against Sweden.”

On Croatia's defence:

“Our defence is our key. If we keep our mistakes to the bare minimum, then we will be able to return and stop their main force. Luc Steins and Dani Baijens are crucial in the middle, just like Niels Versteijnen who has had an incredible season in the Bundesliga. He has a powerful back-court shot, but also has a great handball vision and can play one-on-one.”

Mario Šoštarić (CRO) – right wing

On the first game, against Georgia:

“Everyone saw we were playing under a brake, however, in my opinion, who the winner would be was never in doubt. We came back from being down by six by the end of the first half and that showed who Croatia is. Still, we had lot of problems in the attack, too many technical faults.”

On the Netherlands:

“They are a team that made huge progress in recent years and a team with great individuals. They play fast and attractive handball and we have to prepare for that. They will try to overrun us as they have must watched our games and saw our return to defence can be slower. But we will also be ready to stop their play and impose our rhythm.”

On Croatia's defence and goalkeepers:

“We left our goalkeeper alone. Especially Dominik Kuzmanović in the beginning, he had a lot of clear shots. We didn't make a serious foul in first 20 minutes. That's why that's the most important thing to improve. They are our leaders, they talk a lot with us about defence and we need to be ready to fight hard.”

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