Favourites Norway and Poland clinch big wins

GROUP 2

Norway vs Slovakia 38:26 (19:11)

Despite missing their talisman Sander Sagosen, Norway clinched their 50th win in 73 EHF EURO Qualifiers, dominating Slovakia to win 38:26. The total fell short of their best performance in the competition, 43 goals scored against Belgium in June 2017, but the Scandinavian side still marked Jonas Wille's first official match as national coach with victory. The hosts also clinched their fifth consecutive win in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, one shy of their record of six. It was a difficult debut for Slovakia coach Fernando Gurich, but Slovakia will have another chance at the end of the week against Serbia.

GROUP 8

Poland vs Italy 30:23 (10:9)

Trying to qualify for EHF EURO for the first time since 1998, Italy enjoyed a superb first half against Poland, as the hosts only led 10:9 at half-time. That was as close as Italy could get, and Poland’s experience proved crucial in the second half. They began with a 10:4 run that created an unassailable lead. Kielce’s right-wing Arkadiusz Moryto scored nine goals, with the hosts doubling the number of first-half goals, in a totally different second half.