With the two teams having progressed through their first round groups without tasting defeat, the Group 2 tie was eagerly anticipated in Wroclaw.

The Danish team, who secured gold in 2012 and silver in 2014, are looking to continue their fine run of semi-final appearances at the tournament, having only failed to reach the last four on one occasion in the last seven editions.

However, they had been beaten by Spain at the last two World Championships and a repeat seemed on the cards after they fell 14-10 behind.

A strong recovery saw them level the scores at 18-all and with their goalkeeper Niklas Landin in sensational form, the Danish team eventually progressed to earn a 27-23 victory to move top of the standings.

The winners of the tournament will qualify for the Rio Olympics.

“We played against a fantastic team,” said Denmark's coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson.

"In the first half we had problems in defence and we did not score because of a fantastic performance by Arpad Sterbik.

“But in the dressing room I said that we can improve and we did.

"The second half was one of the best I ever experienced with this team, so a big credit for all the players, as they fought very well, I am extremely happy now."

Meanwhile, Russia had headed into the tie against Germany knowing that they required victories from their final two matches of the group to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals, as well as keeping hopes of Olympic qualification alive.

The prospects looked good after the opening 10 minutes of the match, with the Russians having moved into a 7-4 advantage against their more youthful opponents.

Germany, though, showed why they had recorded three straight victories at the tournament as they clawed their way back into the contest, with Christian Dissinger proving to be their most potent weapon in front of the net.

The tie, which stood at 17-16 in Germany’s favour at half-time, would not be settled until the final four minutes of the match with the German team finally able to establish a cushion and although Russia hit back, they were able to secure a 30-29 victory.

The result meant that the fight for Group 2’s semi-final spots is now between Denmark, Germany and Spain.

Although Spain currently lie two points adrift of their rivals, they have played one match less than Germany and with the top two meeting on the final day of the group, victories against Hungary and Russia could be enough to send them through.

At the Asian Men’s Handball Championship, Qatar secured their status as Group A winners by recording their fourth straight victory.

The 2015 World Championships silver medallists earned a convincing 38-23 win over South Korea to set up a semi-final clash against Group B runners-up Saudi Arabia, as they look to defend their title.

South Korean hopes of reaching the semi-finals were ended by the result, as they needed to better Japan’s effort against Syria to stand any chance of securing second spot.

However, a victory still would not have proved enough as the Japanese team sealed a 24-15 victory over winless Syria to claim second place and a semi-final tie with hosts Bahrain.

The tournament is due to have a rest day tomorrow, before the semi-finals take place on Tuesday (January 26).