SUMMARY: Promising quarter-final lineups set in Nazaré

• day 3 of EHF Beach Handball EURO 2023 in Nazaré
• final main round standings in men's event:
  - group I: Hungary 4 points, Germany 4, Spain 2, Norway 2
  - group II: Denmark 6 points, Portugal 4, Croatia 2, Ukraine 0
• men's quarter-finals (on Saturday): Denmark vs Norway, Hungary vs Ukraine, Portugal vs Spain, Germany vs Croatia
• final main round standings in women's event:
  - group I: Germany 6 points, Norway 4, Croatia 2, Portugal 0
  - group II: Denmark 6 points, Spain 4, Netherlands 2, Greece 0
• women's quarter-finals (on Saturday): Germany vs Greece, Norway vs Netherlands, Denmark vs Portugal, Spain vs Croatia
• get detailed info on all matches in EHF's live ticker and watch all four courts live on EHFTV (geo-restrictions may apply, check the national TV broadcasters) 
• follow the tournament on EHF Beach Handball Instagram, with additional coverage on Home of Handball Twitter
• Eric Willemsen reporting from Nazaré; all photos © kolektiff images

Friday 26 May 2023

19:15

Here ends our coverage of day 3 of the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2023. An enjoyable end to the main round in both competitions! We know the quarter-finals, and we know we have a lot to look forward to on Saturday. Even more so, as we will head straight into the semi-finals as well.

I will leave you for tonight with this interview with Gabriella Horváth, the EHF Beach Handball Commission Chairwoman and EHF Executive Committee Member. I spoke with her about her vision on the tournament so far – and beyond.

Boa noite from Nazaré and see you again tomorrow!

18:48

An exciting finish to the men's main round, brought to us by Norway and Germany on court 1. Goalkeeper Moritz Ebert steps up with three terrific saves in the shootout to give Germany a 2:1 win and second place in group I.

Also, Hungary edge Spain in two sets that could not be closer (21:20 each) and go top of the group, which confirms the quarter-final line-up for Saturday:

18:08

A deserved tribute to all the referees in action here in Nazaré on our dedicated EHF Beach Handball Instagram page:

17:49

With the men in the middle of closing their main round action to determine the quarter-final pairings, here is a story I just did with my EHF colleague Björn Pazen, currently more than 2,700 kilometres away from Nazaré at the EHF Finals Men 2023 in Flensburg.

What this is all about? While Nicolas Desbonnet is playing for France here at the EHF Beach Handball EURO, his brother Rémi Desbonnet is with Montpellier at the EHF Finals. So Björn and I caught up with the pair and asked them both five questions. The same questions, but (partly) different answers.

16:53

That is a wrap for the women's main round. And guess what, the 2021 finalists head into the quarter-finals after winning all three matches in this phase of the competition, so Germany and Denmark could be on course for a repeat of their final...

However, beach handball is so unpredictable, and watch at this quater-final lineup: 

15:56

Talking about quality play, this is a must-see clip from Dutch prodigy Eva Heuten on our EHF Beach Handball Instagram:

15:40

What a great championship this is! The level of the matches in the main round is really high and there is a pretty level playing field, making it hard to predict who is going to finish where in their main round group...

... which also makes it tough to play tactically in order to avoid certain opponents in the quarter-finals.

In the men's main round, for instance, two-time defending champions Denmark in group II are the only unbeaten team after two matches, in group I all four teams are level on two points.

All to play for in the concluding round later today!

13:34

Big win for two-time defending champions Denmark, who beat Portugal 2:0 to take the sole lead in men's main round group II.

And Croatia take a useful 2:0 win over Ukraine to go level with Portugal on two points in this group. Remember, all main round teams will advance to Saturday's quarter-finals, but for your medal chances, it could make a huge difference of course who you are going to play there...

13:00

While the men continue their main round journey now (Portugal vs Denmark on court 1, Croatia vs Ukraine on 2), let's have a stunning look from above on this EHF Beach Handball EURO 2023 in Nazaré:

12:46

Well done to Croatia, who beat hosts Portugal 2:0 on court 1. Kristina Smiljanic with 14 points the leading scorer as Croatia earn their first points in this women's main round group I.

Also, Spain beat Netherlands in the closest of matches: 15:14, 14:17, 9:8. Jimena Laguna Contreras contributes 13 points to Spain's second win in group II, while the Dutch are unlucky for a second time, losing in a shootout again.

11:52

They remain The Untouchables: Germany have just bagged their 30th straight victory, 2:0 against Norway this time, with Amelie Möllmann netting 15 points for the defending champions.

The 2021 runners-up Denmark also confirm they are serious contenders for the title again (after winning it in 2019), downing Greece 2:0.

11:39

Play on Day 3 is in full swing, but there is always time to enjoy the highlights of Day 2: 

10:55

It is women's first today, as Germany and Norway are about to clash on court 1. Germany, the defending champions, have not lost for 29 straight matches... but in the build-up to the tournament, Lucie-Marie Kretzschmar told me for this feature that they are fully aware this defeat will come one day and it is all about how they will handle it:

10:48

Another bumper day of beach handball coming up in this terrific setup on the Portuguese coast. It is a privilege to have the EURO in Nazaré this year, and with the quality of play we have seen so far, these are just great championships so far.

Today, we see the main round and the consolation round come to an end, while we focus in the blog mainly on the main round games, obviously. Here is the schedule for court 1 today, you find the full schedule as usual on the EHF beach handball live ticker.

10:40

Bom dia from Nazaré!

Welcome to the live blog for day 3 of the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2023. The main round started yesterday and will be played to a finish tonight, with all teams trying to build a flow and take it into the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Let's start the day with a tasty lookback to yesterday: the Top 5 Plays from Thursday!