Hungary snatch best-ever ranking with late win

The game was almost completely equal with Slovenia holding the edge through most of it. Hungary levelled the score in the 57th minute and crunchtime saves from goalkeeper László Bartucz opened the door for a one-goal win.

5/6 PLACEMENT MATCH

Hungary vs Slovenia 23:22 (12:13)

• Hungary held the lead for a short period midway through the first half and then again only in the last minute of the game
• the match was dominated by the back courts and line players, with both sides scoring the majority of their goals from those positions while only three strikes came from the wing
• Slovenia tried an unusual tactic of playing with four backs and no line player in some attacks in the second period, which enabled them to find their preferred breakthrough goals
• Slovenia’s edge on all statistics was reflected in the narrow lead they held through most of the game, but Hungary came from two goals behind with five minutes to go and took the upper hand in the last minute off a penalty scored by Bendegúz Boka
• Klemen Ferlin made 11 saves that were key in Slovenia’s slender lead as the match progressed, though Bartucz made the most important stops in the critical final stages

Mackovsek and Dolenec into Slovenia’s EURO history books

During the EHF EURO 2024, Slovenia captain Jure Dolenec and left back Borut Mackovsek have climbed certain rankings in their national team’s all-time statistics in the competition.

The opening match on Friday in Cologne put Mackovsek equal with former captain Vid Kavticnik in fourth on Slovenia’s all-time caps at the EHF EURO, as he played his 36th game.

Dolenec still has a way to go before joining the top five on that list, but he is now just one goal behind the side’s leading five scorers in the all-time history of the EURO. Dolenec passed the 100-goal mark at the EHF EURO in the first half and, with a total of 102 now, sits in sixth position as Slovenia’s 2024 campaign comes to an end.  

Photo © Kolektiff Images