Cyprus give Greece last-minute headache in EHF EURO 2018 qualifier

Greece and Cyprus took to the court on Thursday for Round 1 of the EURO 2018 Qualification's first phase.

Taking advantage of the home court, Greece pulled away convincingly early on, only to have Cyprus fight back to finish the match with a race to the final whistle.  

Group 1: Greece vs. Cyprus 27:25 (16:11)                              

The last time Greece and Cyprus met, in the European qualification for the Men’s World Championship 2013, Greece won both matches decisively (31:13 / 30:27).

This history together with the home court advantage and greater levels of individual experience within the Greek squad put the hosts as firm favourites heading in to Thursday’s qualification match on the road to the EHF EURO 2018.

Greece did not disappoint, allowing Cyprus to score the first goal before taking the lead in the second minute and not looking back.

By midway through the first half, Greece had a seven-goal lead (11:4) and by half-time, Cyprus had managed to narrow the score line only slightly (16:11).

The second half was more evenly matched, with the score line of five persisting through most of the period.

The last ten minutes became uncomfortable for Greece, as Cyprus refused to give in and decreased Greece’s lead to just one goal in the 51st minute (23:22).

Greece just managed to keep their lead at one until the 58th minute, when a goal from right back Christo Tsatso gave the hosts a two-goal lead (27:25) they retained until the final whistle.

Ultimately, it was Greece’s early and convincing lead that sealed the victory for the home side – but the close final score means the re-match in Cyprus on Sunday will be battle.  

Vyronas Papadopoulos was the top scorer for the hosts, with an outstanding ten goals, while Julios Argyrou recorded eight goals for Cyprus.