GROUP 6
Switzerland vs Georgia 24:23 (15:12)
Trying to go for it in his last hurrah, back Andre Schmid led the line once again for Switzerland, as the 39-year-old Switzerland captain added eight goals to his 1,007-goal tally for the national team. It was not an easy match for Switzerland, with Georgia constantly clinging from two or three-goal deficits, even cutting the gap to a single goal in the last minute, thanks to a seven-goal outing from young talent Giorgi Tskhovrebadze. Eventually, the home side relied on their experience and sealed a 24:23 win, handing Georgia their 50th defeat in their 65 EHF EURO Qualifiers so far.
Switzerland goalkeeper Nikola Portner: "We defended well, but it didn't work out that way in attack. The goal was two points and we achieved that. That is what counts, even if we imagined it differently. Now we take the positives with us and also analyse the negatives, so that we can also be successful in Lithuania on Sunday."
Hungary vs Lithuania 36:23 (20:13)
In Chema Rodriguez’s third official game as Hungary coach, his team provided a superb start, which was the building block of their clear 36:23 win against Lithuania. Goalkeeper Roland Mikler shined with eight saves for a 66% efficiency in the first 20 minutes, while backs Richard Bodo Mate Lekai and Zoltan Szita combined for 11 goals to propel Hungary to an unassailable 20:13 lead at the break. It was Hungary’s largest win with Rodriguez on the bench, a good omen for the Spanish coach who aims to write history for his side. Hungary scored their largest number of goals in the EHF EURO Qualifiers since January 2005, when they put 42 past Italy in a 42:27 win.
Hungary head coach Chema Rodriguez: We are satisfied with the final result, but moreover with the way we played today. All of our players were focused and tried to give their maximum, either in attack or defence. This was an important first step for us in the series, and I hope we will continue the qualifiers with this kind of team spirit.
GROUP 7
Montenegro vs Kosovo 29:20 (15:9)
Montenegro built most of their advantage through a superb first half from left wing Milos Vujovic, who scored seven goals in the first 30 minutes, two less than the entire Kosovo team. The gap only grew in the second half, even to 12 goals, but Montenegro failed to secure their largest win in history in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, missing the record by only five goals, with the 41:27 win against Finland in 2007 still holding strong. It was a great start of the group for Montenegro, who will be looking to their fifth EHF EURO final tournament in a row, a streak dating back to 2014.
The most important thing is that we have won two points in this great atmosphere of Novi Sad. Tonight, some players from the junior selection had the chance to play; they are very good players and they need to have the possibility to play with the senior team. And we are happy to have these young players with us.
