Dominant Iceland cruise to record win against Italy

GROUP F

Iceland vs Italy 39:26 (21:12)

H2H: 4-0-0
Top scorers: Janus Daði Smárason 8/10 (Iceland), Leo Prantner 7/9 (Italy)
Goalkeeper saves: Viktor Hallgrímsson 6/26, Björgvin Páll Gústavsson 0/5 (both Iceland); Domenico Ebner 8/37, Pau Panitti 4/13) (both Italy)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Janus Daði Smárason

• as expected, Italy started the match with their 3:3 defence, making life hard for the Icelandic offence and keeping the match tied after 14 minutes (7:7)
• after that, Ómar Ingi Magnússon, Gísli Kristjánsson, and Janus Daði Smárason were able to make better use of the space in between the Italian defenders to extend the lead to five goals after 20 minutes (12:7)
• Italy head coach Bob Hanning tried to stabilise his defence by switching to a 6:0 formation, but that did not stop Iceland scoring; every Italian technical fault resulted in a goal on the other end of the court
• the scoreline stayed at eight to 10 goals’ difference throughout most of the second half
• Leo Prantner’s fifth goal of the match to make it 30:21 after 45 minutes is a contender for best goals of this round; an in-flight goal behind his back made the whole arena gasp in awe
• even though Italy never stopped fighting, they had to endure a red card against left back Christian Manojlovic, who hit Iceland defender Ýmir Örn Gíslason in the face as he tried to break through

Perfect start for Iceland

Iceland head coach Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson must be very pleased with his team’s performance against an Italian side with fighting spirit and an unconventional defensive approach. His team had to shake off their nerves in the first quarter of the match, but their reaction was impressive.

A 14:5 run from minute 15 until half-time paved the way for a dominant victory in their EHF EURO opener.

Goalkeeper Viktor Hallgrímsson has announced himself at the tournament with three saves from the penalty line (60 per cent), while Janus Daði Smárason, Ómar Ingi Magnússon, and Gísli Kristjánsson combined for 21 goals.

Photos © kolektiff images