Handball: Hungary secure placement match giving Norway first defeat

Hungary are now ready for their head-to-head match for fifth place, after the closing game in Main Round Group I in the Fönix Hall of Debrecen. They came out on top with a 29:25 win against Norway, who suffered their first defeat of the tournament, huncro2014.ehf-euro.com reports.

“I can’t say anything negative about the match today, because we really put this together. We fought hard. This was the real Hungarian national team,” said Hungary’s left back Krisztina Triscuk.

EHF said, while Norway had already qualified for the semi-final, and had already won Group I, Hungary, with a win, could still make their way to Budapest for the fifth place match.

The Norwegian team should probably consider themselves lucky that nothing was at stake for them, as their squad was struck severely by illness.

Both left wingers, Camilla Herrem and Sanna Solberg were too sick to play, and this meant that line player Heidi Loke had to take over the left wing position, something that she was not exactly used to.

She did, however, not stick to the left wing all that much. Time and time again, she moved into the line, where Pernille Wibe was positioned, and that Norwegian attacking tactic with two line players seemed to confuse the Hungarian defence, meaning Norway took an early three-goal lead (4:1).

“I think we had a very good start and we were good in defence and we were running very fast, but in the last ten minutes of the first half we were not very good – not in offence and not in defence,” said Heide Loke.

“I think overall we played an OK match. I also have to congratulate Hungary on the victory, they were playing well.”

According to EHF, just like Herrem and Sanna Solberg, both goalkeepers, Silje Solberg and Emily Stang Sando had also been ill ahead of the match, but they both recovered in time to take to court.