Favourites win their games, smiles for Slovenia and good news in Sweden
Favourites win their games, smiles for Slovenia and good news in Sweden
France and Denmark took impressive wins in the Golden League on Friday in Metz, while 12 other teams had friendly games, which gave us some hints about their readiness for the start of the Men’s EHF EURO 2020 in only five days.
Other teams are also playing on Saturday, while Sweden’s MVP from EHF EURO 2018 was absent from the team’s press conference on Friday.
Powerhouses seal wins against strong opponents
Denmark and France lead the way in the final power ranking before the start of the EHF EURO 2020 and the two powerhouses delivered on Friday, as they won their games in the Golden League.
Hosts France were scintillating in Metz against Serbia, powering to a 40:26 win that showcased their attack, while also had future opponents take notes about their defence. PSG right side duo Nedim Remili (eight goals) and Luc Abalo (seven goals) were in top form.
Meanwhile, Denmark were their usual selves against Norway in their 28:26 win. Norway had a good game offensively, but Danish goalkeeper Jannick Green got into his groove and helped his team seal the win.
Denmark will face France in their last friendly game before the throw off of the EHF EURO 2020 on Sunday, while Serbia meet Norway, with the two games taking place in Paris.
WOOP! Danmark åbner Golden League med en sejr over Norge på 28-26 Jannick Green stod en fremragende kamp i målet og blev fortjent kampens spiller Husk at se med søndag, når Danmark møder Frankrig kl. 17 #hndbld #håndbold https://t.co/nXH1nJNh0k pic.twitter.com/OEZMVwjmDL
— Dansk Håndbold Forbund (@dhf_haandbold) January 3, 2020
Spanish defence powers them to a win
Moving on to Spain, the tournament in Torrelavega also threw off on Friday, as the hosts, the current title holders, got a strong win against Portugal, 30:25. Spain had early trouble in the first half, as the score was tied, 17:17, but a strong defensive performance saw Jordi Ribera’s side display a flawless second half, as the Spanish coach gave a chance to all his players to take their role in the win.
MOL-Pick Szeged’s right back, Jorge Maqueda, was Spain’s best scorer, with six goals. In the other game, Russia was too strong for Poland, as they also registered a 30:25 win.
Who impressed and who needs finetuning?
There were also other teams who played friendly games on Friday. Bosnia-Herzegovina, a rookie at the EHF EURO, will have their work cut out and are in need of finetuning after losing against Qatar, 30:27, on Friday.
Netherlands also lost their game, 30:29, against Tunisia, their second loss in a week, after the one against Romania, 28:26, last Saturday. In Friday’s most surprising game, Switzerland took apart Ukraine, 32:22, with an impressive performance as playmaker Andre Schmid only scored twice.
How high can Reichmann go?
Germany are one of the favourites for a medal at the EHF EURO 2020 and they also scheduled a friendly game against Iceland on Saturday. Until then, it was all preparation for the German side and right wing Tobias Reichmann showed off his athleticism and skills with a superb jump. Can he replicate that in a game-like condition? Tune in next week in Germany’s opener against Netherlands on 9 January to see the answer.
Tobias Reichmann ! #WIRIHRALLE #aufgehtsDHB #handball
— DHB_Nationalteams (@DHB_Teams) January 3, 2020
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Deutschland gegen Island morgen in Mannheim ab 17.20 Uhr live im @ZDFsport pic.twitter.com/LoTho6vwuu
Smiles all round
They are funny, they like to spring a few laughs between two training sessions and it turns out they are pretty good at handball too. The mood in the Slovenian camp is quite upbeat after Ljubomir Vranjes took over a few weeks ago and the results are good up until this point. Slovenia were handed a balanced group, against Sweden, Switzerland and Poland, but the form is there: they just beat North Macedonia, 33:28, in a sold-out home arena in Ptuj on Friday. Can they keep it going?
No worries for Gottfridsson
Good news from the Swedish camp: MVP of the EHF EURO 2018, Jim Gottfridsson, was nowhere near to be seen during a press conference on Friday, but the playmaker had only a stomach bug and was isolated from the Swedish side for the last two days.
The consensus is that he will be back in training on Saturday and will be ready to go on Sunday in a friendly game against Egypt.
