MADRID, 17 One. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s handball team closed with full victories the first phase of the European Championship that is being played in Hungary and Slovakia after imposing without excessive brilliance by 24-28 this Monday to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ‘Hispanos’, current champions, did not play anything anymore since they were classified and with the two points assured in the Main Round, and they paid for the ‘inevitable’ certain lack of intensity, especially in the first part, against a rival that He took advantage of it and the one who did not overcome on the scoreboard until the final minutes.
There were two distinct parts to this final duel between two teams with nothing at stake. Spain was not at its best level in either of the two, but it did increase its intensity in the second 30 minutes to make the Balkan team’s attack more uncomfortable, which it reduced to ten goals, just two in the final ten.
Until that moment, Jordi Ribera’s team, who rested Aleix Gómez, Ángel Fernández and Rodrigo Corrales, could not assert a theoretical superiority that had not been reflected on the track. Without asserting his 6-0 and without being fine in attack, not even in the seven meters or in counterattacks, he could not take off and that gave faith to the Bosnians, clinging to the actions in goal of Muric and Karacic and Prce in attack.
Sergey Hernández, in his debut in the tournament, was unable to correct the defensive weakness of his teammates and the errors in attack allowed Bosnia and Herzegovina to open a first gap (11-9). The double continental champion reacted to equalize with two saves from the goalkeeper and two goals from Agustín Casado, but at half-time, with a goal from the buzzer by Herceg, he left them behind 14-12.
PARTIAL TO END THE BOSNIAN RESISTANCE
Ribera continued testing with the 5-1 that he had made in the final minutes of the first half in search of solutions, but Karacic easily surpassed him and increased the illusion of his team (16-13). In attack, he tried Chema Márquez, another debutant alongside winger Kauldi Odriozola, and the center-back, scorer of four goals without fail, contributed his powerful arm, albeit insufficiently.
The Catalan coach decided to return to 6-0, brought in Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas and his players finally increased their intensity in their legs. The light went out for the Bosnians and although they entered with everything even in the final ten minutes due to Spanish mistakes, they could not avoid a partial 0-4 (22-25) that ended up unbalancing the clash for the ‘Hispanics’ that now they will have to continue growing in search of entering the fight for the medals.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, 24 – SPAIN, 28 (14-12, at halftime).
–EQUIPMENT.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: B. Buric (P), Bojic (P); Hamidovic (1), Vuksic (1), Herceg (4), Lukic, S.Buric (2), J.Peric (4), Prce (3), Terzic, Karacic (6), Vranjes (1), Keskic y Dragnic (2).
SPAIN: Pérez de Vargas (L), Hernández (L, 1), Gurbindo (1), Peciña, Maqueda (2), Solé (2), Figueras (3), Cañellas, Casado (7, 1 pen), García (1), Ariño (2), Guardiola, Tarrafeta, Sánchez-Migallón (2), Márquez (4, 1 pen) and Odriozola (3).
–PARTIALS EVERY 5 MINUTES: 2-2, 4-4, 7-7, 9-9, 12-10, 14-12 –break– 17-14, 18-17, 20-20, 22-23 , 23-25 and 24-28.
–REFEREES: B.Lah (SLO) and D.Sok (SLO). Vranjes (2), S.Buric, Keskic, Terzic and Hamidovic, for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Sánchez-Migallón (2), for Spain, were excluded for two minutes.
–PABELLON: Ondrej Nepela Arena de Bratislava.