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A win would be a big step towards the semifinals

Both teams advanced to the European Championship next stage. This match between the eternal rivals will answer the question of how many points they'll have for the second phase, and it's really important because of their potential final placement in this championship

Norway got their second big win on the European championship and secured the placement to the main round of the competition. In the first half-time of this match, we saw two offenses in the scoring mood, and Norway managed to take a four-goal lead in the last five minutes (17-13). After a break, Norway took control completely, Nora Mork and Sanna Solberg crushed Ukraine's goal, and each had 6 goals, being the most efficient players. 

- The first goal was to get through to the main round, the next to win the max number of points. Ukraine are a team with lots of handball knowledge. We were a bit impatient in the first 20 minutes, but it all went according to the plan in the end - coach Thorir Hergeirsson said.

If Norway win today, they'd get to the main round with four points, meaning a big step towards getting placed to the semifinals. When it comes to duels against Denmark, the Norwegians never lack motivation. That's what one of the strongest links of the team, the forward Heidi Loke, announced, mentioning Denmark's five wins in the last six matches they played: 

- History doesn't mean anything. We're ready to work hard and fight. I really believe we will get four points for the next round - Heidi said.

Seven of the Norway's players also played the EC in 2012, where Denmark won 35-33 in a match whose result didn't really matter. 

In their second match on the championship, Denmark were behind and forced to catch up. Thanks to the goalie Susan Thorsgaard's goal two seconds before the end, they got an important point which could be very valuable in the next phase. The match couldn't have started worse for the Danes, Romania, lead by the back players Neague and Tacalie, got to 4-0 in only four minutes. 

The Danes couldn't work the offense for the whole first part, they took lots of ill-conceived shot, recorded too many turovers. Coach Pytlick reshuffled the back offense, but the left wing Maria Fisker was to "blame" for the comeback. She ended the match with 8 goals, and Stine Jorgensen helped a lot in the last ten minutes. 

What Pytlick can be happy about in this match is his team's great mental readiness. They came back from being four goals behind, and demonstrated the legendary Scandinavian persistence, which got them a point in the end.

About today's rival, coach Pytlick holds Norway in great respect. Denmark ended Norway's domination in the matches between the two with two wins in the Golden League this year, and that could mean a slight mental advantage for the Danes tonight.

- They're one of the favorites for the title. I think they timed their form for the EC, since we played the Golden League till today, I can see their game has improved tremendously. They're much better now - Pytlick said.

He also added he knows what it takes to defeat Norway, the defense game. That defense was the key to winning in the Golden League where Denmark stopped Norway to 22 and 21 goals. 

Granted, Norway did much better in the EC games against the same group rivals, but when it comes to their h2h match, the stats from this championship isn't too relevant. Both teams were reshuffled, Denmark might have underrated Romania a bit, but their typical Scandinavian persistence got them that one important point in the end. That draw can be all forgotten about if they beat Norway today. Denmark proved they have what it takes to beat Norway two times in the last two months. They recorded the first win mid-October (26-22) and the second one late November, just before this EC in Norway 24-21. Denmark'd defense and goal keepers were superior in both those games. Sandra Toft limited the opponents to only 8 goals in the first half of that second match, which is no coincidence. Toft is a player at the Norwegian champions Larvik and third of Norwegian team is from Larvik. Another thing is the fact Denmark have much more players to chose from at back positions. Norway's back players are much shorter. Middle back Kristiansen is having the best performances of her carrier, she's much better than Norway's Oftedal. The Danes have a much better quality bench too, which can settle the game in the end. I believe that Denmark have a better chance to win today. I believe that they won't lose by more than one goal and that's my betting choice for this game since it's widely-available.