Eight sides double up to extended winning streak

GROUP 1

Luxembourg vs Portugal 21:32 (5:14)

Backed by dozens of Portuguese fans, who live in Luxembourg, the team of Paulo Perreira did not have any problem to take their second victory after their record-breaking 44:27 against Türkiye. Including their U20 EHF EURO heroes Martim and Francisco Costa and backed by their powerful middle block Luis Frade/Victor Iturriza, Portugal had taken the upper hand by a 6:0 run after the 2:2, as the host had not scored for 13 minutes. But as on the other side Luxembourg’s goalkeeper Chris Auger saved nine shots in the first 30 minutes, they stood much stronger in defence compared to their 24:38 at the opener at North Macedonia, but their attack was too weak, proved by the fact that they needed 46 minutes until they had scored their 10^th field goal for the 11:24. Portugal had easily extended the gap, before they decelerated, their best scorers were Iturriza and Lionel Fernandes by five goals each. 

Nikola Malesevic, coach Luxembourg: "We started well, but when we failed to score and lost our confidence in the first half – and against a team like Portugal this makes a huge difference. I am satisfied with the final result and how we fought back in the second half. We are a small handball nation compared to Portugal, so I am quite happy." 

Tommy Wirtz, player Luxembourg: "Portugal are at least one class better than us, so we can be happy with the second half. We have shown that we can keep up with a team like, and in contrast to the defeat at North Macedonia, our defence was much better.  

Paulo Pereira, coach Portugal: "We could have created a clearer result, but both Luxembourg goalkeepers played impressive. We have two wins on our account, this is what counts. The young Costa brothers Martim and Francisco are now core part of our team, they will step by step take a crucial role for Portugal." 

Gustavo Capdeville, goalkeeper Portugal: "Our first half was well, but after the break, Luxembourg managed to profit from our mistakes in attack and reduced the gap. But in the end, we took a clear victory and finally have to focus on North Macedonia in the next rounds."  

Türkiye vs North Macedonia 27:36 (8:17)

With coach Kiril Lazarov now only in this capacity, having stopped his playing career, North Macedonia are looking like a modern team, inspired by the superb career of their coach. They have a dynamic attack, which can thoroughly dominate on fast breaks and a strong defence, which can stop their opponents. In fact, North Macedonia took an early advantage against Türkiye and never looked back, scoring 36 goals, only eight goals shy of their record, set against Belgium in January 2005. Filip Taleski and Dejan Manaskov combined for 12 goals, as North Macedonia just went closer to their eighth consecutive appearance at the EHF EURO.

GROUP 2

Finland vs Norway 22:35 (14:19)

This is a dream debut for coach Jonas Wille at Norway men’s senior national team, as the Scandinavian side made it two out of two in this group of the EHF EURO Qualifiers, after taking a 35:22 win against Finland. Still without stalwart left back Sander Sagosen, who is rehabbing after an Achilles injury, Norway delivered a good attacking performance, ranking between the best attacks in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, with 73 goals in the first two matches. 15 of those goals, including seven against Finland, came from left wing Sebastian Barthold, who looks in superb form to start the season.

GROUP 3

Israel vs Czech Republic 19:29 (10:16)

The work put in by Xavier Sabate over the last few months starts to pay dividends. With two wins in two matches, the Czech side is close to secure a spot at the EHF EURO 2024, but more impressing is that the players bought in Sabate’s defence-first plan and mindset. In their two wins against Estonia and Israel, the Czech side only conceded 42 goals, one of the best amounts in the competition, as they will surely be a tough nut to crack in the future.

Xavier Sabate (ESP), Czech Republic head coach: "Our defence was fantastic, we played really well in attack. Tomáš Babák was fantastic at orchestrating our game. We played very disciplined against a tough opponent. People will think it was easy, but it was really tough. I'm not only happy, but I'm extremely proud of the work of all the players."

Tomáš Babák, centre back of the Czech Republic: "It was a good game from our side, we had a good start to the game, which gave us confidence and then we played even better. Xavier Sabate actually prepared us well as always, so I don't think they surprised us with anything, and especially the defence worked well today. The Israelis have quality players there, but today we managed not to allow them too much."

GROUP 5 

Belgium vs Croatia 27:30 (13:15)

With a strong display against an emerging side, Croatia made a big step towards maintaining an intact record for qualifying at the EHF EURO, taking a 30:27 win against Belgium. It was Croatia’s fifth consecutive win in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, one that brought them closer to the objective, with Tin Lucic, Ivan Martinovic and Luka Cindric each scoring six goals for Hrvoje Horvat’s side. The guests are definitely one of the best teams in the history of the EHF EURO Qualifiers, winning 48 of their 58 matches now. On the other hand, Belgium will have a mountain to climb after consecutive losses against the Netherlands and Croatia, if they are to clinch their first-ever EHF EURO berth.

GROUP 6

Lithuania vs Switzerland 26:27 (11:17)

Goalkeeper Nikola Portner saved five shots for a 71% efficiency, while back Lenny Rubin scored five goals, as Switzerland threw off the game with an 8:2 run. The guests controlled the game until the final stages, when Lithuania pressed, but failed to get something out of the game, with their comeback being too little, too late. Portner had 14 saves and a 40% saving efficiency, while Rubin added 11 goals in an off afternoon for Andre Schmid, who scored only four times. But Switzerland registered their best-ever start in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, taking two wins in the first two games and making a huge step towards qualification.

Michael Suter, Switzerland head coach: "Two games and four points was our goal and we accomplished it. Compliment to my team. The first half was nearly perfect. And in the second half we proved that we are mentally strong."

Lucas Meister, line player of Switzerland: "It was a positive week. But in both games we could have scored more goals. It’s important that in the future we score more easy goals."

Georgia vs Hungary 24:41 (11:18)

For the ninth time in a row, Hungary enjoyed a win in their first two games in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, taking a clear 41:24 win against Georgia. Chema Rodriguez has now won four games on Hungary’s bench and the team looks better and better. In fact, no team has scored as many goals as Hungary in the first two matches of the qualification round, 77, while also keeping an eye on the defence, where they conceded only 47 times. They also went close to tying their all-time record for goals scored in a match in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, 46, against Cyprus in January 2005, but fell short of that mark. Hungary are close to qualification, while Georgia will need to improve in their doubleheader against Lithuania in March 2023 to have a chance to progress to the final tournament.

Tite Kalandadze, Georgia coach: "We all know how good is the playing level of Hungary. They are one of the strongest teams in Europe. We started the first 10 minutes really well, but the quality of the Hungarian players and their experience played its role. Our team is full of young players and they still need time to develop. In general, we have a lot of work to do in the future to play better in defence and score as much as we can. We have to think about our mistakes and try to be more concentrated in future matches."

GROUP 8

Latvia vs Poland 19:37 (9:13)

Four days ago, Poland disposed of Italy with a strong second half display and it was exactly the same recipe applied for the game against Latvia. Right wing Arkadiusz Moryto picked up exactly where he left off, with 10 goals to add to his tally, which now counts 19 goals in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers. Poland scored 24 goals in the second half to power to a 37:19 win, their second in four days, which basically opens the path for the final tournament in Germany for them. On the other hand, Latvia have now conceded the largest amount of goals in these Qualifiers, 72.