Last round of qualifiers before World Men’s Handball Championship in Denmark, Norway and Croatia started yesterday. Biggest upset? Greece won against the Netherlands.
Staffan Olsson’s Netherlands had a good Euro 2024. The next championship awaiting them is the 2025 World Cup in Denmark, Norway, and Croatia. To qualify, the Netherlands need to win the double-header against Greece.
However, things didn’t go as expected in the away leg. The Oranje had control of the match in the first half. In the 25th minute, the Greeks scored four consecutive goals and took a lead into halftime. The Netherlands couldn’t turn the match around, and Greece pulled away, securing a four-goal victory.
The pressure now lies on Olsson’s men to turn the tie around on Sunday, in the Netherlands.
On the Faroe Islands, the home team made quick work of North Macedonia. An early surge gave the Faroe Islands a lead they maintained throughout the match, largely thanks to superstar Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu, who scored 10 goals.
And speaking of stars, Iceland made even shorter work of Estonia. Omar Ingi Magnusson scored 13 goals as Iceland crushed Estonia 50–25.
Spain, on the other hand, had slightly bigger problems against Serbia. The teams remained level for 35 minutes before the home team gained control over Serbia. Spain eventually won by four goals and will need to work hard during Sunday’s return match.
Today’s qualifiers:
(16:00) Georgia–Austria
(18:00) Lithuania–Hungary
(18:00) Poland–Slovakia
(18:00) Slovenia–Switzerland
(20:00) Italy–Montenegro
(20:30) Portugal–Bosnia Herzegovina