Belgium, Kosovo and Latvia positioned themselves excellently for progression, with big wins in the first leg on their home courts, giving Cyprus, Great Britain and Luxembourg respectively mountains to climb in the second legs, due to be played this weekend.
- Belgium delivered the largest win in this round, with a clear 30:18 domination of Cyprus. Yerime Sylla’s side, who took part at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, are aiming to deliver their maiden appearance at the EHF EURO
- left wing Yannick Glorieux, who scored 24 goals in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, was also the best scorer for Belgium in the win against Cyprus, with seven goals. The second leg is played on Saturday, in Engomi-Nicosia
- the winners of Qualification Phase 1, Great Britain, collapsed in the second half of the match against Kosovo, as the hosts jumped to a 30:22 win after leading 13:11 at the break
- Valon Dedaj had an outstanding performance, with 11 goals for Kosovo, who are favourites to progress when the second leg is played in Derby on Saturday
- goalkeeper Edgar Kuska had 14 saves for a 36 per cent save efficiency, while left wing Ricards Juzups scored eight goals for Latvia, who shrugged off a slow start to clinch a 32:25 win over Luxembourg
- Luxembourg will host Latvia in the second leg on Sunday, trying to deliver their biggest-ever comeback in this phase of the competition
Photos © Alain Decamps, W Vanborn, Dace Eihvald, Kosovo Handball Federation
