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Danish hearts broken in final moments
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Spanish bulls score winner with two seconds left
The Danish men's handball team bowed out of the 2015 World Handball Championship in Qatar last night after losing a heart-breaker to Spain 24-25 in the quarter-final.
The Danes battled well, but their ambitions to reach a third consecutive world championship final were dashed as Joan Canellas scored the winning goal for Spain with just two seconds left on the clock.
”I don't know, it's a real bloody shame. I don't really know what to say,” a gutted Rasmus Lauge told TV2 after the match. ”We missed too many chances – especially in the second half.”
”They managed to scrape some balls across the line when we just about had them. They slipped away from blocks and they got turnovers – we just didn't get those breaks today.”
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Playing for fifth
The best Denmark can finish is fifth, and they will now face a few more dead rubbers against the like of Germany, Croatia and Slovenia – the other losing quarter-finalists.
It is the first time Denmark have missed out on the semi-finals since 2005, ending a run of six successive appearances. Forever the bridesmaids, they are quickly becoming the Buffalo Bills of the tournament.
Looking back at this tournament, the squad will ultimately know that their opening draw against Argentina, which saw them finish second in their group and end up in the tough half of the draw, ultimately cost them a place in another final.
Meanwhile, the Spaniards progressed to the semi-finals where they will take on France, while Poland will battle hosts Qatar in the other semi-final.