Epic comeback secures Bosnia-Herzegovina first win versus Belarus

Epic comeback secures Bosnia-Herzegovina first win versus Belarus

Bosnia-Herzegovina started what they hope will be an historic EHF EURO 2020 qualification campaign with an historic and shock result on Thursday evening in Minsk. The team have never made it to an EHF EURO, while their round 1 opponents Belarus have reached the last three in a row.

It was the first time that Bosnia-Herzegovina defeated Belarus, against whom they have usually lost decisively or recorded a draw.

GROUP 5

Belarus vs Bosnia-Herzegovina 29:30 (16:12)

While Belarus have become a steady presence at major international events, Bosnia-Herzegovina are still fighting for their first EHF EURO berth, so the hosts were the favourites ahead of the clash.

Thanks largely to their great defensive game, Belarus took control immediately and all the momentum seemed in their favour until the dying minutes – when Bosnia-Herzegovina suddenly claimed the upper hand.

After a slow start that saw them fall behind, Bosnia-Herzegovina played seven-against-six as they fought to decrease the deficit and came within one goal more than once – but they could not level the score until the 54th minute. With four goals against them at the break, it seemed Bosnia-Herzegovina faced a difficult task.

However, the visitors were finally rewarded for their perseverance with the first equaliser at 27:27. A tense end to the match followed, with Nikola Prce securing the win with a penalty on the buzzer.