The Faroese handball players celebrated as if they had just won the European Championship title. The handball dwarf from the small North Atlantic archipelago challenged the top favorite with a seven-meter penalty Norway He sensationally clocked 26:26 and celebrated his first ever point at the European Championship in the last second.

“It was an incredible match. We try to stay calm all the time and fight with everything we have. And in the end it turned out well for us,” says Elias Ellefsen from Skipagotu. The Bundesliga professional from THW Kiel remained calm from the spot and kicked off an exuberant party.

With three minutes left, Norway still leads by three goals

The Faroese offered the medal candidate a tough fight for more than 60 minutes. Norway only managed to distance itself in the final phase. The game seemed decided when the Scandinavians led 26:23 with three minutes remaining. But the stranger defended himself.

There were eleven seconds left when a Skipagotu stole the ball from his THW colleague Harald Reinkind. The Faroese could have passed freely, but Reinkind held on: seven meters. Goal. The room shook.

Ten percent of the country celebrates with enthusiasm at the Berlin Motor Show

This already happened in the narrow opening defeat against Slovenia. Mercedes-The Benz Arena was firmly in the hands of the Faroe Islands. In the duel against Norway on Saturday night, thousands of the loser's supporters once again turned the Berlin venue into a cauldron. More than 5,000 fans of the handball dwarf participated in the historic match, that is, around ten percent of the local population. Norway has a population a hundred times larger.

“Our fans are crazy. Without our unique fans, this would not have been possible today. We are incredibly grateful to them for their brilliant support over the past few days,” enthused Skipagotu, who celebrated with his teammates for a few minutes in front of the fans' curve. The party continued on the bus to the hotel.

It is the Faroe Islands' first participation in the European Championship. After the surprise blow against the Scandinavians, it is still possible to advance. In the last match of Group D, the third placed team will face the bottom team on Monday Poland. The top two teams in each group qualify for the main round.