The teams from Slovenia and Montenegro played a memorable game at the European Handball Championship. Coach Bob Hanning, on the other hand, would probably like to forget his European Championship premiere with the Italians.
The handball players from Slovenia and Montenegro set a record at the European Championships. A total of 81 goals were scored in the Slovenians’ dramatic 41:40 victory in their first group game in Norway’s capital Oslo. The best shooter of the evening was the Montenegrin Branko Vujović, who was able to put eleven of his 14 attempts into the opponent’s goal. However, this yield was not enough to win.
The previous record for most goals in a European Championship game was exceeded by four goals. According to the European Handball Federation (EHF), it dates back to the European Championship year 2016. At that time, Belarus beat Iceland 39:38.
The World Cup record of 80 goals from 2003 was also surpassed when Russia beat Romania 42:38. The favored Slovenians now have a good chance of moving into the main round. Other opponents are Switzerland and the Faroe Islands.
Heavy defeat for Hanning and Italy
In the parallel game, Bob Hanning received a heavy slap in his first European Championship appearance as Italian national coach. The partially overwhelmed Azzurri, who are competing in a European Handball Championship for the first time since 1998, were literally overwhelmed by Iceland at the start of the preliminary round and went down 26:39 (12:21). Many experts consider the Icelanders to be medal candidates.
The former DHB vice-president Hanning, who is also managing director of the German champions Füchse Berlin, took over the Italians last year. He is the only German coach at the European Championships. The goal with Italy is to make the team a permanent guest on the international stage again and to make the sport more popular in their own country.
The Italians’ other opponents are Hungary on Sunday and Poland on Tuesday. Only the best two teams in each preliminary group qualify for the main round. Hanning had announced the second phase of the tournament as his goal – even if the southern Europeans were outsiders.
SUF with dpa
