EHF 2022 - Two defeats, but easier to swallow when you are not in the arena

 Final day Sunday 30 January 2022

Two defeats so much easier to swallow when you are not 'physically' in the arena. Or so I hoped.

Gold medal match Final 17h GMT

SPAIN - SWEDEN

Rodrigo starting. Super for Emilie and Marie Laetitia.

MVP Gotfridsson gets his first goal 0-1 2’13

Palicka gets the first save acrobatically against Fernandez

Remember Palicka save in Egypt

Bergendahl is everywhere 0-2 even as line player 4’

Casado reduces the arrears

5-1-1 defence by Spain but Carlsborgard prevails 1-3 6’

Great pass by Sarmiento for Fernandez

Good steal by Jorge

Corrales made Wanne miss. Still 3-4 9’

My shoes laces annoying me

6-6 14’

Palicka saves from Jorge like a bird

Sublime pass and low shot saved by the ex-Kiel legend

Rodrigo saves from Wanne on the 7-meter

Palicka scores the lofty ball 6-8 18’

Palicka saves and 2-min plus 7-meter.

Not nice. Figueras asking for 2 minutes.

8-9 20’

Tarrafeta twice left hanging 10-11 23’30

Fernandez squeezed the equaliser 11-11 27’40

Figueras turns his wrist 12-11 29’19

13-12 leading at the break

Tarafetta careful smart play 14-12 31’

Tarafetta surprising Palicka 16-14 34’

GG makes it 17-15 35’45

Bizarre decision by the German refs favouring Spain

So Bergendahl has defence and line play duties

Jorge scores his first 18-17 39’

Beauty of a goal by Bergendahl to which Ian responds with aplomb 19-18

Ekberg scores the rebound 19-19 41’

Pellas has the crossbar as enemy.

Pecina faulty sub.

Well done Gurbi. With one player down !

Squeezed that one in beautifully by Petterson 19-20 43’

Figueras stepping up. 20-20 43’30

Gonzalo coming in

Figueras doing the business

Jim in the middle firing 21-22 45’

Trust the ref he was inside.

Palicka saved from Adrian

Another lucky escape for Sweden but then a turnover.

Wanne wanna core 22-23 49’35

Palicka saves from Aleix

Great Gonzalo save

GG follow-up 23-23 despite Tarrafeta trickery 23-23 51’

GG could have had a 2-min

Nicklas does a Joli to Gonzalo 23-24  51’45

Petty 2-min requested by the German refs on Claar

Error by Joan.

Tarrafeta big mistake

Gomez puts this one away 24-25 54’

Not my day as a supporter but I am much calmer because I almost feel, in Iceland’s absence

Sweden deserves something. 24-26 54’40

Palicka saves from Ian and shouts of emotions

His 70% range !

Big miss by Sweden. A stupid turnover at this level.

Danny is back and Adrian scores an important one 25-26 56’

Verge of attacking foul…

Superb Gomez defence.

No goal from Sweden for a while

Schwenker by Joan to level it 26-26 58’30

Great defence by Gurbi

Crunch time and Spain outscoring

He asks Gotfri WHAT to do.

Joan thought he would get the free throw for the push

19 seconds left.

Penalty conceded by Joan.

First time in 20 years Ekberg not in open play and scores the 7-meter 26-27

NO TERCER then. Sweden were on the verge of going out on the first week and they did it.

Bronze medal match 14h30 GMT

DENMARK – FRANCE

I know Guillaume Gille too well as this time Remi is likely to be playing

Zoom on Jean Marc and Fabrice !

Beautiful anthems. Both teams.

Nice to see EM and GG in the circle

Is the internet going to be nice?

Oh no VG still starting. That’s not what I wanted.

I do not have the Tous Hand Bleu jersey yet. By the way.

NK shot slowed by a block

Gidsel injured

First counter and Hugo but Holm responds

Immediate Kentin pass 1-2 1’55

VG managing quick successive saves but Holm beats him twice in the same way

Yannis Lenne also on the roll, 2 goals in a row after a foot on the area seconds before

Holm keeps it as he left it. 3-4 5’

Landin saves from Mem

Lauge gets the equaliser 4-4 6’40

Hugo this time makes no mistake

Holm lofted ball

Too speedy Yannis and he cannot breath 5-6

How come no individual defence on Holm

Superb angle by Yannis

Kentin tries his luck instead of releasing to Fab but no acierto

Credit to VG for stepping up today.

Much better shot by speed and style wise and it goes in 5-8 11’

On the good counter Dika missed his chance to the collective dismay

Mensah does not even get a yellow card

Illegal block by NT

Kentin gets his goal this time

Mensing goes in a deserted defence and through VG legs 6-9 13’40

Too many steps ignored by the ref.

How can you have travelling from the throw off? Even GG is surprised.

If I were at the stadium I would have seen better. Fabrice and Jean Marc seen celebrating.

61% for VG at the moment. But Holm still prevailing 8-10 17’20

Not stopping the clock

Hugo from the 7-meter spot gets the 3-goal gap back 8-11 18’20

Hald bold and immediate goal 9-11 18’

Finally Kielce hero

Beautiful top corner Kierkelokke 10-12 20’

Valou getting two minutes because Holm gets him to be pushed

VG beaten this time on his near post by Kierkelokke 11-2 21’30

Costly 2 minutes

Mollgard challenge was like Valou’s. What’s the difference?

Denmark defence much stronger now

Lenne penalised when this time I do not think he touched the area

Lofted ball by Denmark then Dika on the arquero

Front post for Yannis. 5 goals now.

11-13 25’

VG mistake 12-13 26’

Another Landin save on the other hand

We are level as the brother scores

Nahi on the wrong side to have a decent opportunity

Lenne this time read psychologically by Landin

Superb Fab on the buzzer 14-13 at the break

Nice pic from our friends at the interval

Wearing a football shirt is not on.

A couple of empty seats

You wonder what really happened to Gidsel

Landin saves from super Fab.

This time Mahe flies and scores 15-13 31’

Oh no ROSCA on the post by Hugo

Mensah response is quick. Benoit tries also and beats NL

Hugo gets the ball ahead of Hansen

Holm again beats the defence. Where is the defence strategy? 16-15 34’

Kentin changes the type of shot and even Landin gets done 17-15 35’

Kierkelokke again too easy top corner 17-16 35’

Old school Holm goal 17-17 36’

Let the game flow 18-17. My only shout so far. Those refs are annoying again.

Again Holm!

Saugstrup line play thanks to lovely pass by Mensah 19-18 lead by Denmark 38’

VG two mins and nightmare

Inconsistent. Remember Vujovic

Saugstrup scores 21-18 to Denmark 40’

Mem 22-20 41’30

Benoit steal 22-21 42’

Top corner Dika. Coming late to the fore. 22-22 43’

Woodwork punishes the 7-6

Well done Kentin 22-23 45’

Beautiful handball by the Danes 23-23 45’

Why not stopping the clock

Tournat and Karabatic asking more noise from the fans

Again the Illegal 7-6

Mensing long range, a nuisance. 24-24 47’

About time Hald gets sin binned

Superb clean pass by Dika to NT 24-25 48’

Low on the post Benoit with a gigantic leap 26-24 49’

Second time. Travelling not penalised then spotted when Mensah on 2^nd time.

Benoit costly miss and instead Denmark pegged back 25-26

Emil Jakobsen equalised

Evelyne seen as Tournat scores 27-26 52’

Svan of his quality and then scores 27-27 52’50

Saugstrup is a cheat. There is no foul. Stupid ref gets coined.

NK foul and 7-meter.

Big save by VG as I asked the Danish player to miss.

Simply because the refs were wrong on the first suspension

Stupid offensive mistake

Mensah turnover missed by the incompetent ref.

Empty net goal 28-28 56’

Dika miss.

Yellow card to GG but not to the Danish manager?

Save by VG.

Melvin should come on because NK and Dika are not doing their distribution roles

They are quick to give passive play and then attacking foul by France!

That was an attacking foul then on Descat.

Unfairly 65 mins seconds left 28-29

They should not show the strategy because one Danish guy would tell

Stroke of luck for Dika 29-29 13 seconds left

Solid defence to get the extra time.

Why such a long break? It goes against France

Silly turnover like Denmark in Sweden in 2011 but France

Lauge teaser and scores a magnificent 30-29 61’45

Why passive play so quickly? Of course you can defend

Then Holm scores in a distant defence on the same spot

Dika on the crossbar

Second by Lauge 32-29 64’

Kentin slender hope 32-30.

Denmark have the ball to get 3 up

Holm number 10 is annoying.

Landin saved from Lenne as no attacking option.

Ouch VG save.

Defence inside! And no sanctions. One of the two refs was definitely favouring Denmark or at the very least AGAINST France. Terrible biased incompetent shameful behaviour. The EHF’s fault for bringing to the fore the same pair of refs who were abysmal last time . And here we go again today.

Melvin finally 'on'

Our Kielce hero Nicolas Tournat denied by Landin

Now you are stopping the clock

Melvin rescue 33-31

Lauge scores and Landin saves.

France giving up, which leads to number 35. 35-31 69’

Tournat scores but Denmark wins 35-32

France letting too many goals in the second week.