DThanks to goalkeeper Andreas Palicka, defending champion Sweden secured first place in Group E at the European Handball Championship. The Scandinavians prevailed against the Netherlands in a close game with 29:28 (15:15) on Monday. Co-favorites Denmark made it more confident. Thanks to an increase in performance after the break, the world champion won 37:27 (17:15) against Portugal. Slovenia also put itself in a good starting position for the main round with a 28:27 (17:17) win against Norway.
In Mannheim, former Bundesliga keeper Palicka saved the Swedes from defeat because the Netherlands got off to a good start (8:5) and were still narrowly leading in the final phase. But Palicka's saves made the difference.
The Danes also had a harder time than expected in the first half. After the restart, an intermediate spurt ensured the early decision (22:17/38th). They were able to rely on the qualities of the eleven-time goalscorer Mathias Gidsel from Füchse Berlin.
Newcomer Faroe Islands come out with their head held high
Two days after the last-minute equalizer against the Faroe Islands (26:26), Norway suffered the next setback. The team surprisingly lost 27:28 (17:17) against Slovenia and moved into the main round in second place.
Newcomer Faroe Islands said goodbye to the tournament with their heads held high. The island state of the Faroe Islands lost to Poland 28:32 (10:11) in front of 13,321 spectators in the atmospheric Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin – despite outstanding performances from Bundesliga players Elias Ellefsen a Skipagötu and Hakun West av Teigum. Despite the victory, Poland also failed in the preliminary round.
The tournament also continues for the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. However, these teams start the second phase of the tournament with two minus points, as the result against their opponents from the preliminary round, who also advanced, remains in the ranking.
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