Turkey and Italy claim first EURO 2020 Qualification points

With 24 nations set to compete in the biggest ever Men’s EHF EURO event in Norway, Sweden and Austria in 2020, the qualification phase for the championship begins earlier than ever before.

Four teams opened EHF EURO 2020 Qualification Phase 1 on Wednesday, with Turkey recording a solid 26:22 victory against Kosovo, and Italy defeating Georgia with a decisive final score of 26:19.

All four teams will take to the court for rematches of their first-round fixtures on Sunday.

GROUP B

Turkey vs Kosovo 26:22 (13:8)

Turkey entered the match as the clear favourites to record a win on the home court. They claimed the role as leaders quickly, taking a 4:2 lead by the 10th minute and continuing to increase their advantage as the match progressed.

Though Besiktas’ Ramazan Döne – who has scored 27 goals so far in five games of the VELUX EHF Champions League 2016/17 season – was kept unusually quiet, the hosts managed a five-goal lead by half-time.

When Turkey had increased their hold on the game to 18:11 after 40 minutes, Döne was responsible for only three of their goals. But as Kosovo, led by former Australia national coach Taip Ramadani in his first official match as head coach for the European team, had trouble finding the goal the game seemed already decided at that point.

The seven-goal difference that stood 10 minutes into the second half remained until a rally from the visitors decreased the score line to four as the full-time whistle approached, though it was too late for their effort to impact the outcome.

Turkey held on the claim the first two points available on the road to the biggest ever EHF EURO event in 2020, when 24 teams will contest the title for the first time.

Turkey and Kosovo will meet again in their second EHF EURO 2020 Qualification match on Sunday in Kosovan capital Prishtina.

GROUP C


Italy vs Georgia 26:19 (11:10)

Georgia coach Bekar Orjonikidze said ahead of the opening match Group C match that “All teams are playing on approximately the same level at the moment.” And as the second EHF EURO 2020 Qualification Phase 1 game of the night began as a close one, it initially seemed he was right.

The lead changed hands more than once during the first half, but neither side could create an advantage of more than one goal until Dean Turkovic took Italy in front 9:7 in the 22nd minute.

Turkovic was by far the most dangerous in attack for the hosts, scoring six of their 11 goals in the first half, and finishing as the top scorer with 10.

At half-time Georgia had pulled Italy back to a one-goal game, but when the second 30 minutes began the visitors found themselves greatly outmatched.

Within 15 minutes Italy increased their lead to six at 20:14, before Turkovic tallied his 10th on a penalty shot and the home side pulled even further ahead.

At the final whistle the score board showed a seven-goal lead for Italy, who set themselves on a positive path toward their first successful EHF EURO qualification since they hosted the event in 1998.

Georgia will host Italy in the return fixture on Sunday in Tbilisi.