A great last quarter gave the Spanish handball team victory in the first match of the European championship against Portugal. This first 30-24 victory could be crucial for qualification for the second round. In Spain’s group is the Olympic runner-up and one of the best teams in the world, France, and Poland. Of these four teams, only two will advance to the Main Roundso the six goal advantage achieved today could make the difference in a few days.
The Guerreras have beaten Portugal after suffering, especially in the first half. The Spanish were almost always behind on the scoreboard and, after the first thirty minutes of constant comebacks, the game went to halftime tied at 12 points.
At the beginning of the second half, the picture was the same. Portugal took the lead and the Spanish came back to reach a draw. This continued until the last quarter of the game, in which a goal by Ester Somaza in the 42nd minute turned the score around to put the Guerreras ahead. From that moment on, the Spanish took advantage of their superiority and did not allow the Portuguese to catch up with them.
An important victory for the Spanish team, which arrived at this European Championship with an inexperienced team where eight of the 18 called up were making their debut in this great event. The coach, Ambros MartÃn, decided to change the call after the poor results obtained at the Paris Games. Three months later, and with a rejuvenated team – the average age has dropped five years compared to last year’s World Cup – they are looking to regroup and move on from that second phase that has been choking them for four seasons.
