Summary: Six main round tickets booked on Monday night
Monday 17 January is the last chance for six teams in groups A, C, E and F to seal their place in the Men's EHF EURO 2022 main round.
I believed in this, I believed in my friends, we are brothers, we have a very big heart. This is an amazing day in an amazing atmosphere.
We were promised a final, but in the end, what we are witnessing is a one-sided business. With Vincent Gerard being as solid as a wall between the posts, France are having an easy time. With Serbia needing an eight-goal win now to qualify for the main round, it looks like their fate is already decided and that Croatia will travel to Budapest tomorrow.
Anyone who thought that Sweden would have a joy-ride to the main round in their last preliminary round match was fully wrong. Despite the bigger quality and the experience of their squad and the close 12:11 half-time lead, the EHF EURO record winners are having extreme problems against the Czechs. The Czechs are keeping the speed low, are patient and efficient in attack – and have a quick reverse gear to avoid counter-attacks. The only question is whether they have enough power to stand this intense battle for 60 minutes.
Montenegro finally welcomed their coach Zoran Roganovic and his wish to progress to the main round is felt on the court. It’s been a close match up until the 20th minute when Urh Kastelic came between the posts and started to make Montenegrins crazy. The change of tactics from a 6-0 to 5-1 defence allowed Montenegro to close the gap.
Russia are cruising to tying their best-ever start at the EHF EURO, winning their third game in a row. It was always going to be a mountain to climb for Slovakia, but the lack of depth and their hit-and-miss back line, adding to their defensive problems, only helped Russia in this game.
18:29
Slovenia have pulled ahead to a 16:12 lead. Today, Urh Kastelic is between the posts instead of Joze Baznik and he's performing extremely well.
18:23
Extraordinarily, Bosnia still lead the defending champions - only the second time they have led an EHF EURO match after more than 10 minutes.
Over in Szeged, this goal is superb from Marino Maric for Croatia.
18:15
It's been a close match in Debrecen so far. Slovenia have led for a little longer, but Montenegro also just took the lead at 8:7 before their opponents equalised. It's a solid start by both. Stas Skube is making an impact.
Russia have set out strongly in their bid to take maximum points to the main round, and lead Slovakia 7:3. Croatia lead Ukraine by three, but it's all square between Bosnia and Spain.
18:04
And here we go. A reminder that three of the matches on right now matter for the main round. Slovenia must beat Montenegro to go through, but Montenegro can get away with a draw. Croatia need to beat Ukraine (a draw would do if France draw with or beat Serbia later), while Ukraine need a huge win to progress. Russia need a narrow loss or better against Slovakia, while Slovakia need a six-goal or better victory to be certain of continuing.
17:53
There are a couple of big returns in the group A match tonight. Montenegrin coach Zoran Roganovic is back after Covid, while Slovenia's star right back Jure Dolenec is also back on court after missing the last match through a mild knee injury.
17:40
Not long now until throw-off - remember you can watch live on EHFTV, or on your home broadcaster, and follow the live tickers on eurohandball.com from 18:00 CET.
17:10
With less than an hour to go until throw-off, news from Debrecen - it's Blaz Blagotinsek's birthday and as Slovenia started their warm-up he got 'Happy Birthday' sung to him by the hall announcer and some fans. The line player is 28 today. The question is, can he get a main round ticket as his birthday present?
16:50
All the players got filmed before the tournament for their introductions in the arena - we've pulled the best outtakes from the sessions. Lots of characters among these handball stars.
16:37
It's great when different sports connect. Spanish karateka (that's someone who practises karate) Damian Quintero, who won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last year, is in Bratislava as a broadcaster and is clearly having lots of fun supporting the 'Hispanos' in their EHF EURO 2022 journey.
Spain, already through to the main round, play Bosnia and Herzegovina (already eliminated) in the first of today's group E matches at 18:00.
16:17
The France vs Serbia game promises to be a real highlight later on today - here's some head-to-head stats for their wings Hugo Descat and Bogdan Radivojevic!
14:38
We're about to head off for our afternoon break before the games, but news in from Sweden: right wing Daniel Pettersson, who played both the previous matches, has tested positive for Covid-19 and will be replaced by Valter Chrintz.
The 21-year-old Chrintz plays his club handball for Füchse Berlin and has scored 25 goals for them in the EHF European League this season; he's also made 27 previous appearances for Sweden and has scored 46 goals, which isn't bad for a young player. He was part of the silver-medal winning squad at the World Championship 2021 and played all seven of Sweden's matches at EHF EURO 2020, so he brings plenty of prior experience.
14:10
Happy birthday to Germany's right wing Lukas Zerbe, 26 today. Zerbe played yesterday against Austria, scoring once, in his EHF EURO debut.
13:00
Croatia play Ukraine tonight in their last chance at the main round - they're still missing their talismanic captain Domagoj Duvnjak, who is having back issues, but according to their social media this morning they're still hoping he can join them for the main round if they get there.
12:40
Looking for lunchtime listening? We have you covered with the seventh episode of the (Un)informed Handball Hour podcast. France's Karl Konan is the guest, plus Alex Kulesh, Brian Campion and Chris O'Reilly analyse the tournament trends and the showdowns in Budapest and Szeged.
12:30
Last look back to yesterday before we turn our focus to tonight: the top five saves. Germany's Till Klimpke is making his EHF EURO debut at this tournament, and while he had an uncertain start against Belarus he absolutely knocked it out of the park yesterday against Austria.
12:04
Have you seen the top five goals from yesterday's games yet? No surprises that Dominik Mathe's buzzer-beater is number one - it sent the Budapest crowd absolutely wild.
11:45
The Players of the Match last night were impressive - with Iceland's right wing Sigvaldi Bjørn Gudjonsson winning his second Grundfos Player of the Match award. Here are their highlights.
11:17
France versus Serbia this evening is a crucial one for Serbia. The calculations to get them through to the main round are complex, but a win would massively increase their chances - a big win ensuring them progression.
France are undoubtedly favourites, but coach Guillaume Gille is eyeing his opponents with respect. One reason for that is the influence of Spaniard Antonio Gerona, who was brought in to lead Serbia after a disappointing EHF EURO 2020. His players have credited him for making a big change to the team, and their hopes are high for the future.
Read more in our feature by EHF journalist Kevin Domas, below.
Meanwhile, another boost for Serbia is the arrival of Petar Nenadic in left back. Nenadic replaces Petar Djordjic, who tested positive for Covid-19, and comes late after a hamstring injury. The experienced player is is a profilic goalscorer for his club in Veszprém. It will be interesting to see what impact he has tonight.
10:20
The race for the main round is hotting up, with eight tickets still up for grabs as we go into the final preliminary round games. Group D is the only group decided, with Germany and Poland progressing.
We've laid out the current situation for you in our roadmap article - and here too are the current standings in all four groups.
