Austria in seventh heaven with another win to throw off main round

GROUP I

Hungary vs Austria 29:30 (17:17)

• Austria are now in the middle of their longest-ever unbeaten run at the EHF EURO, beating their previous record of three matches, set in 2020
• left back Nikola Bilyk delivered yet another outstanding outing, with eight goals, improving his overall tally at the EHF EURO 2024 to 26 goals – including the winner with 20 seconds on the clock
• Hungary were up 8:4 after 11 minutes, but their level dropped after that and Austria were able to stay in touch throughout to deny the Hungarians a record fourth win in a row
• Austria’s goalkeeper, Constantin Möstl, who had 11 saves for a 32 per cent saving efficiency, shone once again and was voted as Player of the Match, sponsored by Grundfos
• Austria have improved their chances of progressing to the semi-finals and jumped to the top of the standings, with three points, leapfrogging Hungary, with two

Another fabulous story for Austria

“I do not think that my heart could take another close match,” said Austria’s coach, Ales Pajovic, after the draw against Spain. Yet Austria could not escape this scenario for the third match in a row, providing another excellent outing against Hungary, who were favourites before the match, having won three out of three in the preliminary round.

But Austria rode their momentum and their underdog status, as their team spirit and brotherhood was enough to help them clinch a superb 30:29 win, which set a new record for the streak of unbeaten matches at the EHF EURO, with four games in a row.

It was once again about Nikola Bilyk and Constantin Möstl, but it was also about the team, with eight players contributing on the scoresheet. Austria have caught everyone’s attention and their remaining main round opponents will be focusing more intently on how to beat them.

Photos © Kolektiff Images