The Spanish handball team He started his career in the European Championship in Germany with an unappealable defeatafter falling this Friday by a resounding 29-39 against Croatia, in a match in which the ‘Hispanics’ were completely surpassed from start to finish by the Balkan team.
A defeat that not only complicates Jordi Ribera’s team’s access to the second phase of the tournament, but practically forces the Spanish team to win every game from now on if you want to have any option of being able to fight for the medals.
Grieved by the responsibility of not failing in a duel in which not only was at stake the possibility of progressing to the second phase, but also of paving the way to the semifinals, the Spanish team completely foundered in attack.
Something surprising because if the ‘Hispanics’ had stood out for something in the preparation meetings, it was for the variety of offensive resources that he had handled.
But this Friday neither Dani Dujshebaev’s long shots, nor the millimeter passes to the pivot, nor Agustín Casado’s penetrations appeared, at least from the start.
A circumstance that allowed Croatia, which coach Goran Perkovac has given more speed with the inclusion of youngsters such as pivot Veron Nacinovic and Ivan Martinovic, to place themselves with a disturbing 1-4 after just five minutes of play.
Disadvantage that forced Jordi Ribera to urgently request a time-out, fearing that the match would be over for the Spanish team as soon as it began.
⚔️The battle begins, the European Championship begins for the #HispanosRTVE @RFEBalonmano
???????????????????? already in play
1⃣Anota @aleixgomez11 the first both spanish???? pic.twitter.com/s7YgQJp2qr
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) January 12, 2024
Break that was accompanied by the entry of Alex Dujhebaev onto the court, which gave a new air to the team’s attack, which with two consecutive goals from Agustín Casado (4-6) seemed to get back into the game.
A mere mirage, it didn’t take long for the Spanish team’s offensive problems to appear again, unable to overcome the defense of a Croatia that quickly doubled the ‘Hispanos’ on the scoreboard (5-10)
A result that forced Jordi Ribera to request his second time-out in just over twelve minuteswhich was accompanied on this occasion by the move to an attack with seven field players, which did not work either as demonstrated by the 6-12 that appeared in the thirteenth minute on the scoreboard.
Spain was only able to recover its vital signs with the entry into the sides of Joan Canellas and of Imanol Garciandia, who with his whips managed to reduce the Spanish team’s disadvantage by half (12-15).
A world when facing a rival like Croatia, a team that, as Ribera never tired of warning in the preview, handles itself like few others when it is ahead on the scoreboard.
????♂️Heroes wanted
????Candidates: The #HispanosRTVE????The Spanish team has not finished starting
⏰25 minutes left in the game????????15????23???????? ???? pic.twitter.com/kMlJMmUFLW
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) January 12, 2024
Problem to which we add the defender’s injury Miguel Sánchez-Migallón, who had to leave the track with a damaged handand, above all, the excellent game of Lin Lucin, who confirmed against Spain all the good things that have been said about him for years.
In fact, Lucin, who closed the first half with five goals, made the few minutes played by the great Balkan star, Domagoj Duvnjak, go unnoticed, which did not prevent Croatia goes into the break with a lead of four goals (13-18).
A result that tested the proven mental strength of the Spanish team, but not even character could rescue the ‘Hispanos’, who were erratic in the attack with seven players on whom they bet again at the beginning of the second half, They quickly found themselves with an eight-goal deficit (14-22) on the scoreboard.
29-39 | Defeat, and by a lot, of the Spanish team in the @EHFEURO
Everything has turned out for Croatia, nothing for Spain
The best version of the #HispanoRTVE It is still to come, and it is needed now????️domingo 14
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⏰18:00h pic.twitter.com/8xuWEQLiXy— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) January 12, 2024
Difference that forced Spain to face the rest of the match with the objective not only of winning, but of reducing their disadvantage as much as possiblethinking about possible future double or triple ties.
But not even that could be achieved by the Spanish team that found itself overwhelmed by a Croatian team in a state of grace, led by a sensational Ivan Martinovic, scorer of eight goals, as reflected in the resounding 29-39 final score.
Datasheet:
29 – Spain: Pérez de Vargas; Aleix Gómez (8, 5p), Maqueda (2), Casado (4), Dani Dujshebaev (-), Ángel Fernández (2) and Figueras (1) -starting team- Sergey Hernández (ps), Peciña (-), Alex Dujshebaev (-), Garciandia (3), Serdio (3), Cañellas (3), Tarrafeta (2), Sánchez-Migallón (-) and Odriozola (1)
39 – Croatia: Ivic; Sostaric (8, 3p), Martinovic (8), Nacinovic (4), Srna (3), Jelinic (1) and Cindric (2) -starting team- Mandic (ps), Mihic (-), Duvnjak (-), Karacic (2), Mamic (-), Lucin (5), Sipic (-), Glavas (3, 2p) and Klarica (3)
Marker every five minutes: 1-3, 4-7, 6-11, 8-12, 10-14 and 14-18 (Rest) 15-23, 19-27, 22-30, 24-34, 26-36 and 29-39 ( Final)
Referees: Horacek and Novotny (CZE). Peciña was excluded for two minutes for Spain; and Duvnjak and Lucin for Croatia.
Incidences: Match corresponding to the first day of group B of the first phase of the European Championship in Germany played at the SAP Arena in Mannheim in front of 13,293 spectators.
2024-01-12 21:19:45
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