Spanish victory in Germany

Spain have won the 17th edition of the Supercup in Germany. The Iberians won all of their three matches against host Germany, Sweden and Denmark – and seem to be on the perfect route to Serbia, where a medal is the minimum objective.

It was the third victory of the Spaniards at this preparation tournament, having previously won in 1991 and in 2003.

The German team finished last, and didn’t even secure one point to celebrate the debut of their new national coach, Martin Heuberger. The Germans finished below Sweden and Denmark – both Scandinavian teams had to replace a huge number of key players due to injuries, which meant the chance for several new talents to step into the spotlight.

The Spaniards also tested several new players, including Valero Rivera, the son of head coach Valero Rivera.

Sweden had to start without almost all of their usual starting seven – as players like Kim Anderson, Oscar Carlén, Kim Ekdahl du Rietz, Jonas Källman or Dalibor Doder missed the Supercup.

On the Danish side, several stars had to be replaced, too, but young players like Mai Marcussen and Kasper Irming showed their strength and have good chances of EHF EURO 2012 places.

Germany – EHF EURO champions 2004 – were far below their usual performing level. Although the defence and goalkeepers Silvio Heinevetter and Carsten Lichtlein played strongly, the Germans made too many mistakes in attack and were then punished by counter attack goals in all of the three matches they lost. "The top teams of the world are currently not in reach, but we have time to improve before the EHF EURO in Serbia," said Heuberger.

Spain were the well-deserved winners, as they were the most stable team, including their usual strengths in defence. "I am completely satisfied with the way we defended and how our goalkeepers played," said coach Valero Rivera. His team was known as the winner after match day two and the two victories against Sweden and Denmark.

The Swedish keys to success were their outstanding goalkeepers Johan Sjöstrand, Andreas Palicka and Matthias Anderson. "We hope that our stars will return before the EHF EURO in Serbia," coach Ola Lindgren said – but he fears that Carlén and Källman might be out for Serbia.

Despite third position, Danish coach Ulrik Wilbek was satisfied – but has some tough decisions ahead: "Except for Thomas Mogensen, all of our players were younger than 25 – and the youngsters played really well. Now it will be hard for me to decide which players to choose for Serbia."

Results:

3 November, Berlin:

Germany - Denmark 26:29 (14:13)
Sweden - Spain 23:25 (10:14)

5. November, Hannover:

Germany - Sweden 22:25 (10:8)
Denmark - Spain 26:29 (13:14)

6 November, Halle:

Denmark - Sweden 23:26 (10:13)
Germany - Spain 23:27 (9:11)

Further information

Download the Official EHF EURO 2012 Playing Schedule (pdf)

Buy your EHF EURO 2012 tickets HERE.

Ticketing is managed by the Serbian Organising Committees. Should you need further assistance for buying your tickets, please contact via email: tickets@rss.org.rs

Find more information on the tournament on the official website www.ehf-euro.com/SRB2012/

Join the growing community of fans of the event on Facebook www.facebook.com/SRB2012