Summary: Two draws; points for Iceland, Spain on super Sunday

• groups A, B and C play their second matches
• Switzerland stun France with a 26:26 draw, Iceland cling on for 31:30 victory over Montenegro, Spain romp to 36:24 win against Romania 
• Germany secure main round place with 34:25 victory vs North Macedonia, Croatia draw 28:28 with Austria, Hungary through after narrow 28:27 win against Serbia
• read the day preview
• download the Home of Handball app to make your match predictions and vote for Player of the Match (45 minutes into each game)
• follow the EHF EURO social media channels: X, Facebook and Instagram
• find out how to follow the tournament
• all photographs © Kolektiff Images

22:55

Time for us to leave the arena and to say good night - we hope you've enjoyed this amazing night of handball as much as we have!

All the highlights are on YouTube, and here's the highlights of that amazing Switzerland vs France draw.

22:38

Until a few minutes before the end of the game, Croatia could have been joining Germany and Hungary on the train to Cologne on Wednesday. However, their ticket is still not punched after Austria's superb efforts to secure that draw. And there is still one place in each of the other groups too, making main round group I very much unknown right now.

Read the match reviews for more.

22:11 | FULL-TIME

North Macedonia 25:34 Germany

Germany will be in the main round. They defeat North Macedonia comprehensively to the delight of a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Arena. 

Juri Knorr is the Grundfos Player of the Match with 10 goals. Nenad Kosteski is the top scorer for North Macedonia with six.

Croatia 28:28 Austria

Another draw! Group B is all up in the air - both Croatia and Austria have three points, and Spain have two, so the final games will be absolutely crucial. 

Constantin Möstl in goal did not have the best day, but he made a critical save in the closing seconds to stop Luka Cindric. Robert Weber was key throughout, as was Nikola Bilyk who scored seven goals and was voted as Player of the Match.

For Croatia, Mario Sostaric was top scorer with six goals.

Serbia 27:28 Hungary

Serbia almost forced an upset, but Hungary clung on and they are through to the main round. Serbia and Iceland are both in with a chance of joining them, depending on the outcome of Tuesday's games. The Serbs just left it a fraction late in their comeback, but as they were five goals down at one point, losing by one will be bittersweet.

Bence Bánhidi scored nine goals from nine attempts, including Hungary's last goal, so he's chosen as Player of the Match.

21:58

This tournament ...

21:53

Also guaranteed a spot in the main round, Germany: they lead 32:23 with five minutes to play.

Croatian wing Filip Glavaš has just scored his 100th goal for the national team, but it won't guarantee them a place in the main round unless Croatia can hang on to their slender lead for another five minutes.

21:47

Things are looking good for Hungary, who now lead 23:19. A win will see them through to the main round.

Vote now for the Players of the Match on the Home of Handball app!

21:40

Serbia have changed goalkeeper and Vladimir Cupara has made four saves (40 per cent) so far. However, Hungary lead 20:18 with a more effective attack.

Croatia have regained a lead over Austria after also changing goalkeeper, from Matej Mandic to Filip Ivic, but with 13 minutes remaining the match is far from decided.

21:32

Coming up for 10 minutes into the second half, Austria have raised their game and lead Croatia 18:17. But they have been relying on the same eight players throughout, while Croatia have been rotating their bench constantly. How much stamina do they have - especially 38-year-old wing Robert Weber?

Hungary and Serbia keep exchanging the lead and the two-minute suspensions are starting to rack up in a physical contest.

21:26

We have some more seven-on-six action in Berlin, with Kiril Lazarov choosing the risky tactic to try and close the gap on Germany. They were lucky that one empty net shot went wide, but the next went in and Lazarov calls a timeout. 21:13 to Germany.

Croatia lead 16:15, while Serbia have equalised at 14:14 with Hungary ... so tight!

21:20

Robert Weber's skill level here is off the charts, both in terms of the shot and in terms of his awareness of what's going on around him.

21:13

EHF journalist Courtney Gahan is in Munich watching the group C games, and here's her assessment of the way things are going - it could swing either way in the second half.

21:10 | HALF-TIME

North Macedonia 13:18 Germany

Juri Knorr ends the half with seven goals. North Macedonia can't find the solution to Germany at all, enabling the hosts to score at ease. None of the goalkeepers are having a good day - there's only been five saves in total from 34 shots. 

Croatia 14:12 Austria

Croatia shot out of the blocks, but unlike Spain, Austria were able to close the gap fairly quickly and now it's a tight contest. Matej Mandic is keeping the edge for Croatia thanks to a superior save efficiency. Mario Sostaric is again having a good day, with four goals from four attempts; Robert Weber and Nikola Bilyk have also scored four times each.

Serbia 13:14 Hungary

Group C continues to be thrilling, and again there's just nothing in it in Munich. There's some solid defending going on by both teams, although the goalkeepers aren't saving huge numbers. Bence Bánhidi, Nemanja Ilic and Uros Borzas are top scorers right now with four goals each.

21:00

Domagoj Duvnjak comes on for the first time, and assists a Mario Sostaric goal to give Croatia a 13:11 lead.

We should have mentioned earlier on that the game in Berlin has live audio description - click here to access it.

20:57

Germany lead, but Andreas Wolff did not have a good first 22 minutes and has just been substituted for David Späth after making a single save. 

Juri Knorr scores a penalty to put the hosts up 16:9, and it's his fifth goal of the game so far. 

Croatia lead Austria 12:11, and Hungary maintain a two-goal advantage over Serbia.

20:52

Oops ... clearly we jinxed Croatia with that first post. It's now a one-goal game, which Croatia lead 9:8. Meanwhile Hungary have taken a 9:7 lead against Serbia.

Germany are loving life, with a 12:7 lead in front of a raucous crowd in Berlin.

20:44

Austria have recovered a little from their slow start and it's now 8:5 in Mannheim. Serbia lead 6:5, while Germany are 7:4 up after a penalty awarded due to a foul by Filip Taleski on Julian Köster.

20:36

Anyone who thought that Croatia's win against Spain was somehow a one-off would have been mistaken. In less than six minutes they have a 5:1 lead over Austria.

Serbia lead 2:1 against Hungary, while Germany lead North Macedonia 3:2.

20:31

We're underway, and the noise in Berlin is deafening as Johannes Golla scores for Germany.

20:20

Not long now until throw-off in the second games, and a chance for Germany to go top of group A. In group B, Croatia will be hoping they can book their place in the main round with another win. And in group C, another win for Hungary would put them top of the tightest group in the competition.

• North Macedonia vs Germany
• Croatia vs Austria
• Serbia vs Hungary

20:00

Here are the early match reviews. There were several milestones tonight, but our favourite is that that was Björgvin Pall Gustavsson's 40th EHF EURO match for Iceland. What a way to celebrate it!

19:37 | FULL-TIME

Switzerland 26:26 France

26:26 - the magic number in Berlin. After yesterday's thrilling draw between the Faroe Islands and Norway, Switzerland vs France ends in the same score. But it was a very different game, much slower despite the scoreline, although a bit like last night, the favourites were just unable to deal with having the crowd against them. 

Lucas Laube is Player of the Match after a stupendous nine-goal performance; Dika Mem scored seven for France. Samir Bellahcene made 11 saves (45.8 per cent) to Nikola Portner's 10, but Portner's stops were crucial at key moments for Switzerland.

Montenegro 30:31 Iceland

Bjöggi for President? After Gisli Kristjansson gave Iceland a 31:30 lead with 60 seconds left, and Vlado Sola took a timeout, Vuko Borozan had the ball and the opportunity to force a draw - but Björgvin Pall Gustavsson was in the way and Iceland sealed the win. It was a very narrow victory, however, and sets up a thrilling final day of group C.  

19:25 | FULL-TIME

Romania 24:36 Spain

That's more like the Spain we expected at this tournament - dominating through the second half, they take a big win and a big step towards the main round. 

Daniel Fernandez is voted as Grundfos Player of the Match for his six goals, but Aleix Gómez is top scorer with eight, including three penalties. Gonzalo Perez de Vargas makes 14 saves (37 per cent), somewhat redeeming himself for his performance in the first game.

19:23

Iceland are having trouble with the Montenegrin defence. Ómar Ingi Magnusson finally scores for 28:26 after over five goalless minutes. 

19:20

Switzerland equalise at 24:24! France are not finding solutions against this tenacious Swiss side. Guillaume Gille calls a timeout - there's 6 minutes and 45 seconds left.

19:16

Vlado Sola calls a timeout. There's about 10 minutes to play, and Iceland lead Montenegro 27:25.

There's also two goals in it in Berlin, as France lead 24:22. Samir Bellahcene is making a big difference for France here, with a 50 per cent save rate so far.

19:12

All three goalkeepers to have spent any time on court in Munich have had decent, but unexceptional, outings - their save efficiency all hovering at about 31 per cent. This is a nice stop from Björgvin Pall Gustvasson though.

19:10

Michael Suter is taking a leaf out of the Faroese book and is playing seven-on-six, but Nedim Remili took full advantage of the empty net to score after Samir Bellahcene picked up the ball from Andy Schmid's last goal. Still, Switzerland are remaining close to France. It's 20:22.

Time to vote for your Players of the Match!

19:06

Nebojsa Simic has made some huge saves and it's level in Munich! Who will take the points here? 

19:00

The pace in the Switzerland vs France match is very slow; very few fast passes and only a couple of fast breaks so far. Any attempt at a quick transition lasts mere seconds. France, however, have taken a 19:16 lead and may be starting to stretch out.

Spain have extended the lead over Romania to 22:15, while the gap in Munich remains at two or three goals. 

18:55

Earlier on, Ludovic Fabregas scored his 300th goal for France. 

18:52

The second halves are starting.

In Mannheim, Kauldi Odriozola and Imanol Garciandia, who were not used in the first half, have started. And Dylan Nahi and Nicolas Tournat are on for France in Berlin. In Munich, it's time for Björgvin Pall Gustvasson to have a turn between the posts.

18:48

It is, as we've already noted, a good day to be a line player. If you're impressed by any of their performances, open up the Home of Handball app when the matches get to 45 minutes and vote for them as Player of the Match!

18:42

Some thoughts at the break from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu, who knows a thing or two about the Romanian team in particular. They seem unlikely to win this game, but they are showing courage and fight.

It was ultimately the depth and experience, plus Spain's fantastic fast breaks, which made the difference between the runners-up from the EHF EURO 2022 silver medallists and Romania. With the two teams fighting for their lives for a place in the main round, Spain fortified their defence to use a 6:0 run to jump from 8:8 to 14:8 in the second part of the first half, as Jordi Ribera recalibrated his team in front of another Spanish great, Xavi Pascual. Credit to Spain's attack too, which had a 85 per cent shooting efficiency. Nevertheless, this Romania side looks young and promising and with some more experience, they could become a tough team to beat in the future, with the building blocks being there.

18:39 | HALF-TIME

Switzerland 14:14 France

We've had a bit of an up-and-down half in Berlin. Young Swiss line player Lukas Laube has netted six times, and the evergreen Andy Schmid has contributed six assists as Switzerland shrug off their first-round defeat to Germany and put up a decent contest against France. Guillaume Gille has largely kept Nikola Karabatic and Dylan Nahi on the bench so far and neither of his goalkeepers have had a good day, and so the score has remained level throughout.  

Romania 12:17 Spain

Romania had a really good start, but, helped by the type of performance you usually expect from Gonzalo Perez de Vargas (seven saves, 37 per cent), Spain have stretched ahead. Aleix Gómez has been on court throughout, playing a key role as the record medal-winners look for their first win.

Montenegro 15:17 Iceland

Group C remains close! Iceland have had a better half but there's really nothing in it - an even performance from Viktor Hallgrímsson and Nebojsa Simic. However, Iceland's players have been rotated much more than Montenegro's: will Montenegro run out of steam later on?

18:27

Montenegro have rallied a little and not allowed Iceland to go further ahead, but - led by a four-goal outing in 20 minutes from line player Elliði Viðarsson - this is better from the men in white. 

Spain have decided enough is enough, and are suddenly 13:8 ahead as Gonzalo Perez de Vargas clicks into gear. Romania have conceded three penalties and when you have Aleix Gómez to score them, that's not helpful. 

Switzerland have all the support from the largely German crowd and have used it to go up 12:11, although you get the sense that France have another gear yet. The question is why they haven't used it.

18:17

The big block of Swiss fans in Berlin are making a lot of noise and as Nikola Portner saves Hugo Descat's penalty a big roar goes up. Soon after, Descat puts France up 7:6 on a fastbreak.

In Mannheim, Aleix Gómez's equalising penalty for 7:7 is his 300th goal for the national team. Jorge Maqueda has just come on to court too, playing in his 200th game for Spain. Romania are troubling Spain a bit, and have led several times. 

In Munich, Iceland have established an 8:5 lead, after 10 minutes of very close play.

18:08

After a horrific first game, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas has already made two saves against Romania, shrugging off the 55 minutes with no saves on Friday against Croatia. Romania, however, have just gone up 4:3. 

Montenegro and Iceland looks like being a close one - 3:3 after seven minutes. Meanwhile, France lead Switzerland 4:3.

18:03

On the counterattack, Milos Vujovic shoots and whacks Viktor Hallgrímsson in the face - it's a two-minute suspension and the Icelandic keeper is up quickly. It's 0:0 with two shot-stoppers stopping shots.

Spain's Agustín Casado got the 2022 silver medallists on the board early, while in Berlin it's 1:1 at the moment between Switzerland and France.

18:00

The second round in groups A, B and C is throwing off!

17:52

Kentin Mahé, Yannis Lenne and Charles Bolzinger are sitting the match out for France - clearly Lenne is still not fit after suffering with back problems for some time.

17:45

Here we go - 15 minutes until throw-off, the teams are warmed up and the fans too with the fan songs played in each arena.

• Switzerland vs France
• Romania vs Spain
• Montenegro vs Iceland

17:30

Austria are ready for their game with Croatia!

17:20

The fan support here in Germany has been immense, and there'll definitely be lots of Croatian support as they take on Austria later.

17:10

Although we've talked a lot about the young players starring in this tournament there are also plenty of more experienced heads on court, and Switzerland vs France features two of the best: Andy Schmid and Nikola Karabatic, both playing their final EHF EUROs. Here they are, head-to-head.

16:55

We're just over an hour away from throw-off for today's games. Will France book a main round slot tonight?

16:40

A few fans have arrived for the early warm-ups in Berlin, and as the first Swiss players arrive there's a shout of "Hop Schwizz!"

Group A are in the house.

16:25

News from the Norwegian camp: right back Magnus Rød broke his foot in yesterday's game against the Faroe Islands, and is out for the rest of the tournament. Kent Robin Tønnesen will travel to Hamburg if Norway make it to the main round and for tomorrow Norway have Harald Reinkind and Gabriel Setterblom in this position.

16:10

Iceland drew their first match and must now beat Montenegro to keep their chances of progressing to the main round in their hands. They had a chilled day of training and media calls yesterday.

15:30

Switzerland face the might of Olympic champions France at 18:00 CET tonight, and they’ve been looking ahead to that match. For those who speak a bit of German (and/or French!) this analysis is very interesting.

14:15

Spain face a must-win game against Romania tonight, after their sensational loss to Croatia on Friday. The nine-time EHF EURO medallists will not want to go home on Tuesday. 

They've been for a walk before some video analysis, and we should expect to see 'Los Hispanos' coming out hot at 18:00 CET.

The blog is now having a break; we'll be back a little later and will of course continue to bring you the build-up before today's games.

14:00

Extraordinary statistics from Denmark's Michael Damgaard last night - only 19 minutes on court, and yet he was the top scorer against Greece and also Grundfos Player of the Match!

13:48

After the second round of groups D, E and F last night, we can update you on the standings in each group.

13:20

We're into the second round of preliminary round matches, and some teams are already fighting to stay in the competition while others are able to relax more. Why? Because of the first-round results.

In this fascinating long read - perfect for a damp Sunday afternoon in January - EHF journalist Courtney Gahan goes into the importance of winning the first game in a big tournament. 

12:37

Croatia's attack was immensely efficient against Spain - will they manage the same level tonight, against an almost-as efficient Austria? It's the stat of the day!

12:22

This tournament will surely be remembered for many things, and one of them will be the superb performances by a bunch of teenagers. Yesterday we profiled 18-year-old Portuguese player Francisco Costa; under the spotlight today is Romania's Daniel Stanciuc.

Like Costa and others including the Faroes' Óli Mittún, Stanciuc is a alumnus of the EHF's "Respect Your Talent" programme which teaches young players about the importance of life outside handball and how to manage being a professional athlete. Players of the Match from the younger age category events each year get to attend a camp where experts and star players help them navigate topics like nutrition, media management, anti-doping, mental fitness and more. 

Stanciuc shone in Romania's first match against Austria, and is hoping to make an impact tonight against Spain too.

11:52

At yesterday's group E game in Mannheim between Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Swedes had a special supporter - FC Barcelona football star Fridolina Rolfö, who is an ambassador for the tournament. She picked Felix Claar as the Player of the Match on the Home of Handball app and said the atmosphere was "amazing", adding: "The fans were great. There is something special about the indoor, the sound and everything stays in. This arena in Mannheim is amazing.”

Rolfö also revealed to reporters this morning that she started her sports career playing handball, saying: "When I was growing up I was playing handball. It was a big thing in the city where I grew up, so we all were playing handball in the winter and football during the summer. So, handball for me is a big part of my life, or at least it was. Now, I enjoy watching it and I get a bit emotional watching it. For me, it is an amazing sport, I love to watch it - intense and exciting. I get those feeling back every time I watch it.”

Later today you'll be able to ask Rolfö some questions - make sure you're following our Instagram channel, @ehfeuro!

11:27

It wasn't a win, but the Faroe Islands celebrated last night's draw against Norway as though it were. And they were right to celebrate as it's the first point in a senior championship ever for the side, comprised largely of young players with bags of talent starting out on their handball journeys. 

Here are some of the best photographs taken by our team from Kolektiff Images after the end of the game.

10:55

The goalkeepers were in fine form again last night - here are the top five saves, including at least one from each of the three groups playing on Saturday. Which is your favourite?

10:26

Have you seen the top five goals of last night yet? Then you must! In a high-scoring night we had some absolute stunners - watch to the end!

10:00

After Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark booked their main round tickets last night, more are up for grabs as groups A, B and C play their second-round matches later on today. 

The teams in the running for progression include hosts Germany, provided they beat North Macedonia, as well as France and Croatia. But keep an eye on group C - after the draw between Iceland and Serbia on Friday, everything is to play for and there's just a two-goal differencing separating Hungary from Montenegro in the standings.

Read the day preview for more.