Austria had to bow to Croatia 29:35 in the first group game of the handball Olympic qualification.
The ÖHB men started the game well, leading 4-1 after around five minutes and later 5-1. The Austrians are extremely efficient offensively in this phase, but the Croatians are often too slow offensively and make a few mistakes, but they still fight their way forward.
After 13 minutes it is 6:5 for Austria. What’s particularly impressive is the Croatians’ quick transition game, where the local handball players can’t quite keep up.
In the 16th minute, the Croatian Jakov Gojun was shown a red card for going too hard in the duel against Bozovic. It goes back and forth, after 30 minutes the score is 16:16 – so everything is possible.
Austrians lose game in half two
The Austrians started the second half sub-optimally, they were given a two-minute penalty, after which Croatia took the lead for the first time in the game. It was still a draw before it suddenly became 20:17 for the Croatians. Austria misses chances, then Weber also fails with a 7-meter throw. The Croatian keeper Mandic is extremely strong in this phase.
The ÖHB men don’t really want to achieve much, while their opponents are mostly uncompromising in front of Constantin Möstl’s goal. After just over 45 minutes the score is 26:21 for Croatia.
In the second 30 minutes, Croatia demonstrated the class that exists within the team’s ranks. Austria can no longer keep up with the pace and is no longer able to strike back again.
In the end there was a 29:35 defeat. The ÖHB team presented itself strongly, especially in the first half, and apparently missed too many chances to start the second 30 minutes with a better start.
On Saturday, Austria will face Algeria in the second group game (from 5:00 p.m. in the LIVE ticker >>>).
Germany with an opening win against Algeria
In the duel between Austria’s two other opponents, Germany beat Algeria 41:29.
Despite the clear result, the Germans’ performance was not completely satisfactory, with “Bild” criticizing the DHB team for playing too wildly. In addition, the conclusion is not clear enough.
“We had a relatively good first 15 minutes. My plan was to switch then. Unfortunately, we no longer had access in defense. I became a little louder in the dressing room. After the break we had more access again. Overall “It was a good 45 minutes and 15 not so good minutes,” said German coach Alfred Gislason.
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