Agustín Casado and Dani Fernández guided Spain's victory (31-25)
MADRID, 4 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men's handball team beat Poland 31-25 this Thursday on the first day of the 2024 Spanish International Tournament (TIE), which is being held at the Palau d'Esports in Granollers, with an outstanding performance by Agustín Casado in the first half and by Dani Fernández Jiménez during the second half.
In the run-up to the European Championship, which will start on January 10 in Germany, the 'Hispanics' started their final set-up well; Yes, they did it with ups and downs in the first 30 minutes. An initial 5-2 run, forged with goals from central defender Agustín Casado, gave way to a Polish response that tied the score.
Left back Dani Dujshebaev then entered the scene, alternating his position several times with Casado himself to score and maintain the advantage (12-9), before Poland signed a 0-4 partial and arrived ahead at half-time (12 -13), situation cemented especially in Jakub Skrzyniarz's stops.
However, upon returning from the locker room, Jordi Ribera's men set up a 5-1 and open defense, with intensity to force a couple of key counterattacks and demonstrating greater success in combinative play. Furthermore, in moments of numerical superiority, the 'Hispanos' dealt moral blows through the work of Dani Fernández.
He, one of the new pearls of Spanish handball, scored six goals during the second half of the match and was helped by brothers Álex and Dani Dujshebaev. From the right end, the timely contribution of Kauldi Odriozola combined in a wonderful way for Spain's attack, which from 19-18 was opening a gap on the scoreboard.
Joan Cañellas, Adrià Figueras and Ian Tarrafeta were encouraged in the offensive area, and Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas also put the bolt on the goal. In this way, the 'Hispanos' reached their maximum distance of eight goals (30-22) and left the victory more than clear.
Looking ahead to the second day of this TIE 2024, those from Ribera will face the Slovak team this Friday, starting at 8:00 p.m., on the same Vallesan stage. And to close the tournament, Spain will play against Serbia on January 6 (7:00 p.m.).