SUMMARY: Croatia, Slovenia advance; Norway, Denmark win last games in A/B
The preliminary round at the Women's EHF EURO 2022 has come to an end for groups A and B on Tuesday, with Croatia and Slovenia grabbing the final two tickets for the main round, and Norway and Denmark winning the closing games.
22:49
And here is the confirmation of the final standings in the two groups. That means the following teams are through to main round group I in Ljubljana, starting on Thursday:
Norway (starting with four points), Croatia (two), Hungary (zero); Sweden (two), Denmark (two), Slovenia (two).
22:44
One more time, here are the four results of the closing round for preliminary round groups A and B:
22:36
The wins by Norway and Denmark wrap up the preliminary round play in groups A and B. Norway advance from group A with the maximum of four points, Hungary with zero; Denmark and Sweden each carry over two points from group B.
Here are the reviews of the two late matches, written by Danijela Vekić in Ljubljana and Courtney Gahan in Celje:
21:59 RESULT | DENMARK VS SWEDEN 25:23 (13:5)
Well, that one still got close in the end, which tells a lot about the strength of Sweden, but Denmark hold on to the lead to win by two – and add those two coveted points to their start tally for the main round.
21:56 RESULT | NORWAY VS HUNGARY 32:22 (14:12)
No messing around with Norway. They had a slow start against Hungary, but as soon as they got going, there was just no stopping them. And with Silje Solberg saving 20 shots for 48%, it's clear there was no way back for Hungary in the second half.
21:39
Meanwhile in Celje, Sweden are finally getting going a bit against Denmark, but the damage has already been done in the first half. Denmark still six goals up: 20:14 – in their way what looks to become their third straight win over their Scandinavian neighbours.
21:34
Team timeout Hungary. After their bright start, they now seem to have lost control of this game against Norway. It is 20:15 with about a quarter of an hour left to play.
21:17
As mentioned by Courtney Gahan in her half-time analysis, Sandra Toft has had an otherworldly first half for Denmark against Sweden. Look at this:
21:11 HALF-TIME | NORWAY VS HUNGARY 14:12
Hungary have started firing on all cilinders, building a three-goal lead, but the defending champions have restored the pecking order even before the break. This is what EHF journalist Danijela Vekić in Ljubljana says:
"Both teams already with a spot in the main round but fighting for the important points. The Hungarian fans are loudly cheering for their team who are now trailing by two. Hungary had a dream start to the match leaving the defending champions without a goal for seven minutes.
Norway were down for almost 20 minutes not being able to impose their rhythm on the opponent. The Hungarian side took what was offered and a close game delivered additional energy to Vlagyimir Golovin's team. A strong defence is what both sides have, while attacking efficiency is the point both will need to work on in the second half. Stine Oftedal celebrated her 120th EHF EURO goal as she hit the bottom right corner at 99 km/h scoring for a 4:6 in the 12th minute."
21:06 HALF-TIME | DENMARK VS SWEDEN 13:5
Yes, that result line has no typo... Let's head straight to EHF journalist Courtney Gahan in Celje for her opinion on this extraordinary first half:
"How is this performance from Sandra Toft real? This is what makes her such a legend — when she has her best game, she becomes unbeatable. In a match like this, between two top-level teams, how often does a goalkeeper register a save rate of over 80 per cent after 30 minutes? The Danish keeper has been absolutely incredible, tallying nine saves at 81 per cent as we go to the break — and most importantly, allowing Sweden just one goal in the opening quarter and only five in the whole half.
Sweden’s defence and the performance of Jessica Ryde (45 per cent at the 16-minute mark) has also been solid, but they are far eclipsed by Denmark so far. While Denmark may have lost their opener to Slovenia, a performance like this makes it clear they are among the frontrunners for the trophy here at the EHF EURO 2022. What a game."
20:58
Norway have clawed their way back into this match and lead, but one of the best goals came from Hungary:
20:48
Meanwhile in Celje, Denmark are 6:2 up against Sweden in less than 16 minutes. So, both the group leaders in big troubles early on.
20:36
First celebrations in Ljubljana are for... Hungary. They take an early 3:0 lead over mighty Norway.
20:20
We are going to close the day with two matches that are a kind of main round games already: all four teams involved know they are through, so at stake are valuable points for the next phase.
In group A, defending champions Norway are up against Hungary – with Kristine Lunde becoming the most-capped player in EHF EURO history with her 55th appearance.
And in group B, Sweden try to keep their impressive start into the tournament going and make it three wins from three matches when they take on Denmark in a Scandinavian derby.
19:35 RESULT | SLOVENIA VS SERBIA 27:24 (13:15)
They struggled in the first half, but duly delivered in the second: Slovenia please their home crowd in Celje again and their journey in this EHF EURO continues in the main round in Ljubljana.
19:32 RESULT | CROATIA VS SWITZERLAND 26:26 (14:12)
Ohhh, what a finish to this match! Croatia get the draw they need only with the final throw of the match, by Katarina Pavlovic. But what a performance of the Swiss debutants, pushing the 2018 bronze medallists all the way.
19:27
Well, what is happening here? Switzerland are getting back into this, and even briefly edge ahead, now at 24:24 with three minutes left! Now, THAT would be a sensational win, if Switzerland manage it...
19:19
Here in Ljubljana, Croatia keep their noise in front against Switzerland, but cannot really shake off the debutants. At the moment it is 23:21, that would obviously see Croatia through.
19:09
Jovana Risovic preventing Serbia from dropping further behind. Remember, they must beat Slovenia to have any chance of staying in the tournament.
19:05
Are Slovenia turning this match around? Now into a 19:17 lead over Serbia, also thanks to goals like this beauty:
19:01
Team timeout Serbia. They have lost their lead as Slovenia are back level at 16:16. Game on!
18:40 HALF-TIME | CROATIA VS SWITZERLAND 14:12
Also a two-goal gap here in Ljubljana, as Croatia hope to seal their main round berth. Here is the opinion of EHF journalist Danijela Vekić after the first half in Ljubljana:
"With both teams have a shot of going into the main round of the EHF EURO 2022, it is no surprise both are pushing hard on the court. Switzerland had a good start to the match with a strong transformative defence that made Croatia sweat and pushed them into the lead for 10 minutes. Without Valentina Blazevic in the centre back position (due to an injury), Stela Posavec stepped into Blazevic's shoes and brought a two-goal lead in the 15th minute.
Switzerland equalled again and only due to their strong last minute, Croatia have a lead at half-time. One thing is sure, Switzerland are not making it easy for the Croatia, who only have a reachable two-goal lead at the break. Croatia need to find a way to score more easy goals and to stop the Swiss transition."
18:37 HALF-TIME | SLOVENIA VS SERBIA 13:15
Serbia taking that two-goal lead into the dressing rooms. Intriguing second half coming up! Let's hear from EHF journalist Courtney Gahan in Celje:
"With the chance to stay alive in the EHF EURO 2022 on the line, it’s no surprise that this match has been close. After falling behind early against Sweden and Denmark and never managing a comeback, Serbia must be much more satisfied with their game, as they kept it level from the beginning and have the advantage as we go to the break.
Although there have been hardly any saves from the keepers, the score progressed slowly early on especially, mainly due to the defence played by both teams. Serbia rely on Denmark winning in order to book a main round spot, so their fate is not entirely in their own hands, but so far they are doing their job to give themselves the chance."
18:33
The usual highlights with Croatia goalkeeper Tea Pijevic are already coming in:
18:30
Stat from the Slovenia vs Serbia game: Serbia have more possession, and lead 13:12 with three minutes left before half-time.
18:24
Meanwhile, Croatia 10:9 ahead against Switzerland, also thanks to Dora Krsnik's 100th goal for the Croatian national team. They are not outplaying Switzerland by any means, but just doing what they need to do to advance.
18:16
Kristina Liscevic has just given Serbia a two-goal lead over Slovenia. The hosts must be wary not to let the gap grow here.
18:12
Both matches are 10 minutes underway, no team has had a substantial lead so far. As expected, these are going to be close affairs.
18:01
Yes, we are off and running in Ljubljana and Celje for what promises to be another thrilling night of handball! Remember, it is all live on EHFTV.
17:49
Serbia doing the math for tonight:
17:34
On paper, Serbia should be the favourites – they have won the last four of the five matches they played against Slovenia, with the last one coming at the 2021 IHF World Championship: 31:25 in the main round. Slovenia only won the first one, back in 2013.
But with Slovenia playing in front of their home crowd, willing to see their heroes advance to the main round in Ljubljana, the stats from the past might not mean so much. In a true Balkan derby, anything can happen anytime!
17:29
Over in group B, we are in a similar situation: two teams are through – Sweden and Denmark; two teams will play for the final spot – Serbia and Slovenia.
These are the possibilities for those two teams:
Slovenia - through to the main round if
- they do not lose to Serbia
- they do not lose to Serbia by more than seven goals AND Denmark lose to Sweden
Serbia - through to the main round if
- they beat Slovenia by more than seven goals
- they beat Slovenia AND Denmark do not lose to Sweden
17:21
The head-to-head stats speak clearly in favour of Croatia, since they have won all four previous matches against Switzerland – most recently in an EHF EURO 2018 Qualifier. But we know Switzerland have vastly improved since.
17:17
Croatia stole our hearts two years ago with their stunning run to the bronze medal. Now they have to make sure they get out of the preliminary round...
We know that Norway and Hungary, who will meet in the later match in Ljubljana at 20:30 CET, are already through. So here are the possible scenario's for tonight's game:
Croatia – through to the main round, if:
- they do not lose to Switzerland
- they do not lose to Switzerland by more than three goals AND Hungary lose to Norway
Switzerland – through to the main round, if:
- they beat Croatia by more than three goals
- they beat Croatia AND Hungary do not lose to Norway
17:00
One hour until throw off, so make sure you tune in to the EHF EURO show on the Home of Handball Twitch channel. You can do so here on top of the live blog or, if that does not work for you, directly over on Twitch.
16:30
Let's warm up for tonight with the Top 5 Goals and the Top 5 Saves from yesterday:
16:07
Swiss made. That is a stamp of quality – and also applies to the Swiss women's national handball team. Finally, they have made it to a final tournament: Switzerland are making their EHF EURO debut in Ljubljana – an historic achievement. And they can even still qualify for the main round tonight!
Anyway, their EHF EURO dream has become a reality even before they co-host the 2024 edition.
This brilliant mini documentary captures the Swiss team’s spirit and shows what it means to them to be at the European Championship:
15:56
Just over two hours to go until throw off... Let's have a quick look ahead to the final decisions in groups C and D tomorrow and then turn our focus to tonight's matches.
Here are the previews for Wednesday, written by EHF journalists Adrian Costeiu and Björn Pazen:
12:30
An hour later than usual, but here you go: the Stat of the Day from our data analyst and journalist Julian Rux:
12:12
Time for our daily best ‘women in sport’ image, the cooperation between EHF and its photo agency partner, kolektiffimages, during the Women's EHF EURO 2022.
Eight out of 12 delegates nominated for the Women's EHF EURO 2022 ❤️ are women. Meet two of them, Lidija Bojić Ćaćić and Ilona Tordai, who are making sure the regulations of the matches they officiate are respected. Both of them are also members of our stakeholder groups. Lidija is a member of the EHF Methods Commission and Ilona is a member of the EHF Court of Appeal.
11:55
We have a lot of content coming up for you today, including another show on our Home of Handball Twitch channel at 17:00 CET and, right now, another show from our podcast friends of the (Un)informed Handball Hour.
In the sixth episode of the official Women's EHF EURO 2022 podcast, Jenny Carlson joins to speak about Sweden’s ideal start to the championship, including a momentous win over co-hosts Slovenia, and her efforts to raise awareness of IBD - inflammatory bowel disease.
Sweden’s starting playmaker was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 18 and had an ileostomy constructed in an emergency surgery in 2018. Carlson speaks about what changed for her as a handball player with a stoma, how life has gotten better for her on and off the court since then and fighting stigma with her openness on the topic and her Instagram account @athletewithstoma.
The 27-year-old also looks forward to the Group B final against familiar foes Denmark, while we take a look at the other big news at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022.
Listen below or download the episode with Jenny Carlson here.
10:22
It is crunch time for the teams in groups A and B: The last matches in the preliminary round, so for those who have not booked their place in the main round yet, this is their last chance.
Since Sunday we know that Norway and Hungary are through from group A, with Croatia and Switzerland contesting the last available spot. In group B, Sweden and Denmark have qualified for the next phase, and they will be accompanied by either Slovenia or Serbia.
Of course we dive deeper into it once we get closer to throw-off, but you might already want to read this who-needs-what-to-reach-the-main-round piece:
10:15
Good morning! It is day 5 of the Women's EHF EURO 2022 – and for two teams, it will be the last day of the European Championship.
The preliminary round ends for groups A and B, and here is the playing schedule:
