Norway defeated Germany 23-20 in Rotterdam to win the Handball World Championship, capping goalkeeper Katrine Lunde’s final tournament with another gold medal for the Scandinavian powerhouse. Germany, which had beaten France 29-23 in the semifinals for its first final appearance since 1993 after standout performances from Emily Vogel and Katharina Filter, pushed Norway to an 11-11 halftime tie before narrowly falling short. Norway, already a multiple world champion and led in the decisive moments by Henny Reistad after a slow first half, denied Markus Gaugisch’s resurgent German side a fairytale ending despite its deep collective effort.