Iceland secure late draw with Serbia

After Iceland were the stronger side in the first half, Serbia took the lead early in the second and were in charge until the last two minutes, when Iceland scored three goals to leave Serbia reeling and avoid leaving round 1 empty-handed. 

GROUP C

Iceland vs Serbia 27:27 (11:10)

• Iceland proved anything can happen in a handball match as Aron Pálmarsson netted twice and Sigvaldi Bjørn Gudjonsson had the final say to turn a 27:24 score for Serbia with under two minutes to go, into a draw at the final buzzer
• it took five and a half minutes for the first goal of the match to come. Goalkeepers Dejan Milosavljev and Viktor Hallgrímsson set the tone early and both finished the half above a rate of 40 per cent – Milosavljev with 44 per cent for Serbia and Hallgrímsson on 50 per cent for the Nordic team
• the EHF EURO 2022 All-star Team goalkeeper Hallgrímsson nursed a save efficiency of 69 per cent at the 20-minute mark, having helped Iceland turn the 2:2 game in the 10th minute into a 7:4 lead 
• after the early scoring struggles and Serbia containing Iceland’s counter attacks to near the last 10 minutes of the half, Iceland’s wing duo Bjarki Mar Elisson – who was named Grundfos Player of the Match – and Gudjonsson had a field day and combined for 13 goals
• Iceland took the lead in the 17th minute, after which Serbia equalised once more before half-time but could not gain the upper hand, although they were quick to level and claim the driving seat in the first minutes of the second period
• with all but two players taking the court, Serbia could bring full power. When Petar Djordjic netted for 27:24, the outcome seemed clear – but Iceland showed that it is not over until the whistle

History repeats for Serbia and Iceland

It was the second time Iceland and Serbia met in their opening game at the Men’s EHF EURO, and the second time that opener ended in a draw.

The first EHF EURO game between the sides was in 2010, when Iceland ended up recording their best result ever – the bronze medal – after starting with a draw against Serbia.

In 2018, Serbia won the mutual encounter in Split outright. And on Friday night they seemed ready to topple the side many see as one of the biggest semi-final threats, making a clear statement on their own form, before Iceland secured the late draw.