StarTopic 2022 European Men's Handball Championship | ST | Hungary for Some Handball

[Chaotic Neutral]

Mostly a predictable start to the competition yesterday but some noteworthy points!

27 - 25

30 - 21

28 - 31

31 - 23

22 - 27

28 - 26

30 - 18

29 - 27

35 - 25 ​

Most of these were according to the script, although I did not expect the mainland Nordic countries to all give their opponents such a thrashing. The Netherlands keep building up steam. Hungary maybe isn't the strongest opponent but they are on home ground. If they can beat either Portugal or Iceland now, they'll most likely qualify to the main round, which would be great performance for them. I expected Serbia - Ukraine to be a much closer game and am frankly impressed with the Serbian team considering their problems. Croatia - France was a pretty nasty game - great fun to watch but there'll be a lot of bruises this morning. The red and the blue card on Mandic were more than justified. Hopefully no hard feelings, though. Probably mixed feelings for Lithuania. While they won't be too happy with their loss, a two-goal difference against Russia isn't too bad for their team. At the same time, now their chances at progression will be very low, especially seeing the form with which Norway absolutely thrashed Slovakia.

Three matches today to finish off the first round of fixtures for the six teams that didn't feature yesterday:
​

Germany - Belarus might be an interesting watch. Lots of pundits here are predicting they'll impress beyond many expectations. Then of course Portugal - Iceland. This'll probably be a tight one, as we have played each other three times in the last year with mixed results and know each other very well. On a neutral ground, I'm expecting a nail-biter!​

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

I'm still a nerve wreck from the match v. the Netherlands yesterday. What a nail-biter! Congratulations to Denmark, Spain, Poland, and Germany for all having made it through to the main round already with a match left to play. And condolences to North Macedonia, Austria, Belarus, and Bosnia Herzegovina for their elimination - you'll do better next time around! Spain and Denmark will be carrying 2 pts into the main round regardless, putting both in a strong position to get to the semifinals, as was widely predicted pre-tournament. Here's the roundup for the weekend:​

Friday

24 - 28

33 - 29

31 - 36

Saturday

24 - 28

23 - 34

36 - 23

23 - 20

27 - 19

32 - 28

31 - 26

22 - 23

Sunday

30 - 31

29 - 28

34 - 29

20 - 29 ​

Shocker of the weekend in my opinion is Russia beating Norway. I really expected the Norwegians to win that one. Also, I have to say, I hope this Dutch team qualifies (sorry, Hungary and Portugal!). The match yesterday was the most exciting handball match I've seen in a long, long time and tbh I thought Kay Smits deserved MOTM ahead of Sigvaldi Björn Guðjónsson, impressive as the latter was. 13 goals in a single match and he very nearly won the game on his lonesome - he absolutely deserves a run in the main round. And to absolutely honest, the Portuguese team has disappointed at this tournament (due largely to factors outside their control), so I don't see them beating this in-form Netherlands team.​

These are the matches ahead of us today:

I'd put my money on France beating Serbia, Croatia beating Ukraine, Russia beating Slovakia and Norway beating Lithuania, allowing France, Croatia and Norway to progress to the next round. But if you can, watch Montenegro - Slovenia and Czechia - Sweden as both are pure competitions for who progresses, and the latter especially should be a good match!​

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

Congratulations to France, Croatia, Montenegro, Russia, Norway, and Sweden for their qualifications to the main round!

33 - 32

21 - 31

25 - 38

29 - 25

24 - 28

27 - 27

27 - 36

29 - 35 ​

We got our first tournament draw between Czechia and Sweden and the Czechs will be absolutely brokenhearted over such a narrow exit from the tournament. Montenegro will be happy about their one-goal win against Slovenia, securing them a qualification ahead of the last cup's semi-finalists. Other results are according to the script, although big kudos to Bosnia Herzegovina for their performance against Spain, even though the latter eventually managed to win the match.

The preliminary rounds are almost done, with only two groups remaining to be finished. In group D, Poland and Germany are already through but will play today to decide who takes the points with them to the main round. Group B is the only question mark left, with all four teams theoretically able to qualify. These are the matches today that will settle the main round:

18:00 CET

Group B: Iceland - Hungary
Group D: Poland - Germany

20:30 CET

Group B: Netherlands - Portugal
Group D: Belarus - Austria

I'll be watching the group B games with all my nerves on edge. But no matter how this goes, the main round is shaping up to be something fierce!
​

Germany with a total of 6 covid cases now. :/

Oof, yeah. Huge players out after yesterday's events too. The replacements seem good, though, especially Johannes Bitter. But if Germany doesn't beat Poland tonight, that main round is going to be a steep uphill climb.​

Indoor sport, no bubbles, no masks, arenas at full capacity ... when I started reading up on this I was suprised the tournament has had over twenty registered Covid cases. Now I'm surprised it's not more given the half measures.

Usually if places go that heavy "I don't care" about the pandemic, they also eliminate testing so at least there's less documentation of how much they're failing by.

It's scandalous how the COVID preparations for the cup have been. Teams put together in hotels and in the same dining halls. Packed stands, up to and over 20.000 while just a year ago at the World Cup in Egypt the matches were closed and there were issues if even a few locals tried to peek in. I understand that there is a lot riding on this financially for the EHF but it's just irresponsible for public health and it creates an unjust, basically luck-based disadvantage in the tournament itself for teams like Serbia, now Germany etc. I really think they should've bitten the bullet and done a WC Egypt again.​

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

And that's a wrap on the preliminary round! Congratulations to Iceland and the Netherlands on being the last two teams to qualify to the main round!​

31 - 30

32 - 31

23 - 30

29 - 26 ​

Also, huge kudos to Germany on the resounding victory over fellow qualified team Poland in spite of their plethora of Covid-cases, putting them at the top of their main round group! My nerves are still aching from yesterday's Icelandic win over Hungary on their home turf. What a match with a full stadium of enthusiastic home supporters. You could hear the atmosphere and the buzz over the ocean.

These are the two main round groups heading into the next phase of the tournament, then:
​

Group I

1. Denmark - 2 pts (+9)
2. France - 2 pts (+5)
3. Iceland - 2 pts (+1)
4. Netherlands - 0 pts (-1)
5. Croatia - 0 pts (-5)
6. Montenegro - 0 pts (-9)

Group II

1. Germany - 2 pts (+7)
2. Spain - 2 pts (+4)
3. Russia - 2 pts (+1)
4. Norway - 0 pts (-1)
5. Sweden - 0 pts (-4)
6. Poland - 0 pts (-7)

Each team will now play each of the other teams in the group that they didn't already play in the preliminary round, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals and the third-placed teams advancing to the 5th place match. There are no matches today but this is the agenda tomorrow, January 20th 2022:
​

15:30 CET

Group 1: Montenegro - Croatia
Group 2: Russia - Sweden

18:00 CET

Group 1: France - Netherlands
Group 2: Germany - Spain

20:30 CET

Group 1: Denmark - Iceland
Group 2: Poland - Norway

If I had to pick matches, I'd say go for Russia - Sweden, Germany - Spain, and Denmark - Iceland!

German team should just withdraw at this point. Two new cases of COVID, they are down to 14 players, with only one goalie for the match against Poland.

Well, I think the response from Germany yesterday was more than excellent. What a team! Hope they manage a top 6 finish!

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

Well, shit - Covid got Iceland too. It was a good run, though.

32 - 26

23 - 29

34 - 24

23 - 29

28 - 24

​

31 - 42 ​

Holy hell, Norway! 42 goals, will you chill out? I missed this one as I was watching Denmark - Iceland at the same time and crying about all of our A-team being sidelined by Covid, but I now kind of wish I had watched that instead. I also continue to be surprised by Montenegro, who are having a monster tournament. A 6-goal victory over Croatia is a feat and I happily eat crow having given them little chances before the tournament started. I am a bit surprised how one-sided so many matches were, with all matches being won by between 4 and 11 goals. Hopefully we'll see some closer contests here in the remaining three Main Round matchdays, with the tables currently looking like this:​

Group 1

1. France - 4 pts (+15)
2. Denmark - 4 pts (+13)
3. Montenegro - 2 pts (-3)
4. Iceland - 2 pts (-3)
5. Netherlands - 0 pts (-11)
6. Croatia - 0 pts (-11)

Group 2

1. Spain - 4 pts (+10)
2. Norway - 2 pts (+10)
3. Sweden - 2 pts (+2)
4. Germany - 2 pts (+1)
5. Russia - 2 pts (-5)
6. Poland - 0 pts (-18)

Next matchday is tomorrow, January 22nd 2022, and the schedule looks like this:

15:30 CET

Group 1: Montenegro - Netherlands
Group 2: Russia - Spain

18:00 CET

Group 1: France - Iceland
Group 2: Poland - Sweden

20:30 CET

Group 1: Denmark - Croatia
Group 2: Germany - Norway

Croatia is going to need to fight off the Danish juggernaut here if they want to have a chance at the knockouts, otherwise it's probably game over. The same goes for Poland against Sweden, but unfortunately for the Polish, I just do not see that happening. On the other ends of the tables, Spain will probably have secured themselves a spot in the top 6 with a win against Russia. But everything can still happen!​

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

Matches are coming thick and fast now and we've had some bangers!

Group I

Matchday 2

30 - 34

21 - 29

27 - 25 ​

What a day! Iceland's monumental eight-goal win with eight of the country's best players out with Covid against the Olympic champions and international powerhouse France is locally celebrated as being one of the greatest sports achievements in the country's history. This unexpected victory turned the group on its head and alongside Netherlands' win over Montenegro has ensured that the group is still completely open with everyone still able to reach the upper half of the table. However, Denmark's win over Croatia means they can now at best reach the group's 3rd place and compete for the tournament's 5th place.
​

Group II

Matchday 2

25 - 26

18 - 28

23 - 28

Matchday 3

29 - 29

21 - 25

23 - 27 ​

Group II on the other hand is settling down. It is now clear that Norway, Sweden, and Spain will divide the top three places between them somehow, with the rest being eliminated from the tournament after tomorrow's final matchday regardless of results. The question now is which two teams will advance to the semifinals and which team will compete for the 5th place. The Sweden - Norway derby tomorrow will send the winner to the semi-finals, with the loser dependent on Spain's result against Poland and goal differences.​

As it stands:

Group I

1. Denmark - 6 pts (+15)
2. France - 4 pts (+7)
3. Iceland - 4 pts (+5)
4. Netherlands - 2 pts (-7)
5. Montenegro - 2 pts (-7)
6. Croatia - 0 pts (-13)

Group II

1. Norway - 6 pts (+19)
2. Sweden - 6 pts (+16)
3. Spain - 6 pts (+7)
4. Russia - 3 pts (-6)
5. Germany - 2 pts (-8)
6. Poland - 1 pts (-28)

Today, we finish up the 3rd matchday in Group I with the following matches:

15:30 CET: Iceland - Croatia
18:00 CET: Denmark - Netherlands
20:30 CET: Montenegro - France

Iceland will be hoping for some of its main players to come back to even the odds against Croatia, who will now be trying their best to secure a 5th place ranking. Denmark is able to cement a qualification with a win over the Netherlands, who are now without superstar Kay Smits and will have to compensate somehow. Montenegro desperately need a win against France, who will be wanting to make up for an embarrassing match against Iceland ahead of a difficult final match against Denmark in two days time.​

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

Oof! Yesterday's matches put Group I in an interesting situation!
​

22 - 23

35 - 23

27 - 36 ​

These results mean that (A) Denmark has qualified to the semifinals; (B) France has qualified to at least the 5th place match; and (C) Croatia, Montenegro and Netherlands can progress to the 5th place match but are not in contention for the semifinals. Iceland still has a chance to reach the semifinals but will need (A) to beat Montenegro tomorrow and (B) that Denmark beats France. If neither works out, they are out, but if only (A), then a 5th place match is in the cards. As it stands:

Group I​

1. Denmark - 8 pts (+27)​
2. France - 6 pts (+16)​
3. Iceland - 4 pts (+4)​
4. Croatia - 2 pts (-12)​
5. Montenegro - 2 pts (-16)​
6. Netherlands - 2 pts (-19)​

Group II

1. Norway - 6 pts (+19)​
2. Sweden - 6 pts (+16)​
3. Spain - 6 pts (+7)​
4. Russia - 3 pts (-6)​
5. Germany - 2 pts (-8)​
6. Poland - 1 pts (-28)​

Last matchday of the main round starts today in Group II. These are the matches:
​

15:30 CET: Poland - Spain
18:00 CET: Germany - Russia
20:30 CET: Sweden - Norway

Given that Spain beats Poland in the first match of the day, Sweden - Norway is a pure knockout for who reaches the semifinals and who advances to the 5th place match. Germany - Russia, however, considering how the groups are looking, is de facto a contest about who ranks 7th in the tournament - and of course for bragging rights!​

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

And that's a wrap on the final main round matchday in Group II!

27 - 28

30 - 29

24 - 23 ​

All of the matches were pretty close but Spain's victory ensures them the top place in the group, having a smaller goal difference than Sweden (who follow them into the semifinals after their victory over Norway) but having beaten them in their preliminary round match. Norway will be devastated having lost to Sweden, but their 3rd place ranking in the group ensures them a shot at the 5th place in the tournament against the eventually 3rd ranked team in Group I. Meanwhile, Germany will be hoping their 4th place finish in the group gets them the 7th place in the tournament but that is looking possible but unlikely as group I stands right now. Poland's last place finish with only a single point has ensured that they take the last place of the main round qualified teams, ending in the tournament's 11th place overall (see updated OP).

As it stands:
​

Group I

1. Denmark - 8 pts (+27)
2. France - 6 pts (+16)
3. Iceland - 4 pts (+4)
4. Croatia - 2 pts (-12)
5. Montenegro - 2 pts (-16)
6. Netherlands - 2 pts (-19)

Group II

1. Spain - 8 pts (+8)
2. Sweden - 8 pts (+17)
3. Norway - 6 pts (+18)
4. Germany - 4 pts (-7)
5. Russia - 3 pts (-7)
6. Poland - 1 pts (-29)

Today, we will find out whether Denmark faces Spain or rivals Sweden in the semifinals and whether Iceland or France play the other team. Norway's 5th place match opponents are a lot more open, with almost all Group I being possible opponents. Today, then, we have the last main round matches before the knockout round:
​

15:30 CET: Montenegro - Iceland
18:00 CET: Netherlands - Croatia
20:30 CET: Denmark - France

You shouldn't miss these matches, especially Denmark - France, as that match might very well end up being repeated for the final, depending on results today!

 

[Chaotic Neutral]

Wow, what a day! Iceland's failure to qualify to the semifinals in spite of a 10-goal victory over Montenegro has sparked an international incident, with Icelanders accusing Denmark of throwing away their game after having had a 5-goal lead for a long period, and Danish media picking up on it, resulting in some Danish readers to argue heavily with the Icelandic Twitter community online!​

24 - 34

28 - 28

29 - 30 ​

France's narrow victory over World Cup holders Denmark means that the two teams will go to the semifinals, with Iceland being sent to battle Norway for the tournament's 5th place ranking. Montenegro's heavy defeat against Iceland means that they take the last place of the ones that were still on offer, i.e. the 11th. The Netherlands take the 10th, with Russia taking the 9th. Croatia's draw against the Netherlands means that they take the 8th place after Germany's 7th finish, which is a remarkable success considering how the tournament went down for the Germans.

The final ranking for the main round is as follows:
​

Group I

1. France - 8 pts (+17)
2. Denmark - 8 pts (+26)
3. Iceland - 6 pts (+14)
4. Croatia - 3 pts (-12)
5. Netherlands - 3 pts (-19)
6. Montenegro - 2 pts (-26)

Group II

1. Spain - 8 pts (+8)
2. Sweden - 8 pts (+17)
3. Norway - 6 pts (+18)
4. Germany - 4 pts (-7)
5. Russia - 3 pts (-7)
6. Poland - 1 pts (-29)

These, then, are the semifinals and 5th place match that will be played tomorrow, January 28th:
​

Semi-Finals

FRA - SWE

ESP - DEN

Fifth Place Match

ISL - NOR​

In spite of Norwegian and Icelandic disappointment, the Nordic countries will be collectively very happy to take 4 out of the top 6 places in the tournament, while France and Spain will both be hoping for a Latin showdown in the finals. We're nearing the end and all of the remaining places are up for grabs now - very exciting!

—

Edit 26/3/22: I’m sorry I failed to carry this thread through to completion but real life got in the way. (Nothing dramatic, just work crunch plus family stuff.) I’ve updated the OP to reflect on how the tournament eventually went down. Thanks to everyone who followed!

​