Mission accomplished: Italy’s handball team flies to the third round qualification for the 2025 World Championships in Croatia, Denmark and Norway. At the Pala Giovanni Paolo II in Pescara, in front of 1,300 spectators, the Azzurri prevailed at 33-31, repeating the success of the first leg obtained last Wednesday in Hasselt (29-25) and reach the last step of access to the world championship event. Between 8 and 12 Mayfirst at home and then away, the national team will face Montenegro in a new double comparison, the definitive crossroads to access the world championship tournament. The one in Pescara is the third consecutive victory of the Italian selection in the international field: the series that began in November in the success at the expense of Turkey was extended (37-27).
The match
After a balanced first half, ended tied at 16-16, it is the sprint of the national team at the start of the second half that represents the turning point. In particular, the rotation between Domenico Ebner and Andrea Colleluori in goal turns out to be a winner: the Abruzzo goalkeeper gives himself an MVP evening in front of the public of his region. From his saves comes the sprint (3-0) which in the 35th minute leads Simone Mengon to 12-9. The game turns. Escape with Of the Angels to make it 26-20 in the 42nd minute. In the final, Belgium narrows the gap to -1, but qualification for the third round is safe. The top scorer of the match will be the left-handed player Thomas Bortoliauthor of nine goals and returned as a protagonist after a long period of absence due to injury.
Director Trillini: “Difficult match. Montenegro? Now we want to dream”
“The start was very difficult, we knew that Belgium could make some breaks”, the words of the Technical Director Riccardo Trillini at the end of the game. “Gradually our fast game worked better. Then, in the second half, we had a High level collulues and this has favored the growth of the whole team. It was a difficult race on a character level and I want to praise the boys for what they have shown. We wanted to win it, not just get through and we succeeded. Montenegro? We have many rotations available, we play well on the run and we have shown high defensive intensity. It will be very difficult, but we want to dream.”
1970-01-01 00:00:00
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