“4th or 12th – it doesn’t matter,” said Jure Dolenec to me after the preliminary round of Paris 2024. Despite Jure’s best efforts, it will indeed be fourth place for him and Slovenia as they were defeated 23:22 by Spain in Sunday morning’s bronze medal match.
There is no ignominy in this performance from the Slovenian side in their first Olympic medal contest, going toe-to-toe with Spain in a game where neither side led by more than two goals at any point.
Both sides did an excellent job at nullifying their opposition’s threats, displayed by the sub-par performances of two leading men at these games, Ian Tarrafeta’s 0 goals from 3 shots and Aleks Vlah’s expensive 3 from 10.
Holding on
Spain appeared to marginally control proceedings in the second half but it suddenly seemed to turn with nine minutes left as a quickfire brace of goals put Slovenia ahead.
What followed was a pure battle of grit and determination between the sides. The time for good handball was over, it was about playing winning handball.
While a man down, Spain were given a gift as Vlah blasted a shot over the bar, punished by Alex Dujshebaev and then they held on for dear life.
Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and his defence stood strong to deliver Spain a fifth bronze medal in eight Olympics – a worthy reward for a tough games, where they lived on the edge in every crucial match.