With zero points and a negative record against Hungary at the EHF EURO — no wins in the previous three encounters — Poland arrived in this match as clear underdogs. With an unstoppable offensive power, strengthened by the likes of Petra Vamos and Katrin Klujber, Hungary imposed themselves from the beginning and prevented the Polish side from taking the lead.
GROUP I
Hungary vs Poland 31:21 (17:9)
- Poland started the game with their classic seven-against-six play, but Hungary kept sharp and benefited from an empty net, scoring three easy goals
- Paulina Wdowiak had a fantastic first half saving 50 per cent of the shots that went her way, including two penalty throws; despite this, the Hungarian offence only grew stronger and at half-time they were already leading by eight
- right after the break the gap quickly widened to 10, but a series of mistakes on the co-host’s side helped Poland reduce the advantage by three goals; helped by a few crucial saves from Blanka Böde-Bíró, Hungary managed to maintain a safe distance until the end
- in a low scoring match for the Polish side, Aleksandra Rosiak scored four times and climbed to the all-time top five scorers of her team at the EHF EURO with a total of 38, leapfrogging Aleksandra Pawelska
- Petra Vamos added eight goals to her tally and received the Player of the Match, presented by Grundfos
Fierce offence key to Hungary’s success
Following their fifth win in the same number of matches, Hungary are a force not to be reckoned with, and that is partly due to their impressive performance in offence.
From the start of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, the co-hosts have managed to win with a six-goal lead or more each time.
Katrin Klujber is the top scorer of the team with 27 goals, but on Friday night she was outshone by 24-year-old Petra Vamos, who scored eight times out of 10 shots. Her performance tonight helped Hungary tie their biggest win in this EHF EURO edition so far, with 10 goals — they previously beat North Macedonia 29:19 in the preliminary round.
We were preparing for a tough game today and it was kind of a new situation because we had to play two matches in two days without rest, but our stamina was good and it was a physical advantage on our side.
We showed that maybe we don't have the quality all over and we don't have the same power as at the start of the tournament, especially the one that we had in the game against Spain. We are struggling when we meet teams like this.
