If the Men’s EHF EURO 2020 was the starting point on the international scene for the Netherlands, then the last two years have been an upward learning curve for the Dutch national team.
After only losing one of their six games in the EHF EURO 2022 qualifiers, the Netherlands finished second in group 5, where they played against Slovenia, Poland and Turkey.
If the qualification campaign is an indicator of their ability, Luc Steins and his teammates are on the verge of something much bigger.
Main facts
- Netherlands finished second in group 5, tied with Slovenia on nine points, to qualify for the Men's EHF EURO 2022
- after earning their first win in the competition against Latvia, Netherlands finished 17th at the EHF EURO 2020
- Netherlands will play alongside Portugal, Hungary and Iceland in group B at the EHF EURO 2022
- centre back Luc Steins and right back Kay Smits are key players to keep an eye on
Most important question: How much progress have the Netherlands made since the EHF EURO 2020?
The answer is pretty clear: a lot. Individually, two players moved to a couple of the most prestigious clubs on the continent: Luc Steins joined Paris Saint-Germain Handball in 2020, while Kay Smits moved to SC Magdeburg in 2021.
But it is not only the big names who have progressed in their careers. Left back Ephrahim Jerry signed for Kadetten Schaffhausen and right wing Bobby Schagen joined TBV Lemgo Lippe. Playing in the EHF European League every week has enabled both players to gain experience and make strong progress.
But as one witnessed during the EHF EURO 2022 qualifiers, the Netherlands have progressed as a team. Their only loss in the campaign came against Slovenia, 34:23, but they drew away in the return match and beat Poland twice.
During the qualifiers you could feel that the Dutch game was more polished than it used to be a while back — a definite sign that this national team is on the way up.
