28.07.2014, 09:49
Denmark, Germany, Sweden remain unbeaten at Men's 20 EHF EURO

NEWS REPORT: The eight participants for the main round have been confirmed, with the battle for the two spots in Group A going to down to the wire between Spain, France and Norway

Denmark, Germany, Sweden remain unbeaten at Men's 20 EHF EURO

The Men's 20 EHF EURO in Austria has moved into the main round with the last round group phase matches being played on Sunday in Linz and Traun.

With only the top two teams qualifying for the competition's next stage - instead of the top three at senior national teams European Championships - the battle for the open spots and vital points was fierce in all four groups.

In Group A Spain were under pressure after they had conceded an unexpected 23:24 loss against Norway on Friday. But they had recovered by Sunday, and a 35:26 win against France meant that both teams advanced to the main round.

Despite having also won two matches Norway have to be satisfied with a place in the intermediate round.

In Group B Denmark crowned their confident performance so far with a third consecutive victory, 29:22 against Switzerland, on Sunday. They are followed to the main round by Serbia who beat Estonia 36:20.

"Our goal is now to reach the semi-final. And for this we have to either beat France or Spain," said Danish player Christian Albertsen after the match.

Germany and Austria are the two teams to make it to the main round from Group C. Both had won their first two matches which meant that Sunday's direct encounter would decide which team takes two points with them to the next phase.

Germany had the better start to the game, leading 14:10 at half-time, but Austria fought back to narrow the gap to 26:27 with almost a minute left on the clock before German Yves Kunkel's goal decided the game in his team's favour as Austria only scored once more.

In Group D the situation was exactly the same as in Group C with Sweden and Slovenia already confirmed as main round participants after two victories each.

And even the final result was the same as in the Germany vs. Austria encounter: In a hotly contested game Sweden took a narrow 28:27 victory.

The main round at the Men's 20 EHF EURO continues on Tuesday and Wednesday, 29 and 30 July.

Tournament information

The Men’s 20 EHF EURO takes place in the Austrian cities of Linz and Traun from 24 July to 3 August 2014. For more information visit the official website and the event’s Facebook page.

All matches can be watched online. This is the link to matches in Linz, matches in Traun can be watched here.

During the tournament eurohandball.com and the EHF EURO Facebook page will also feature regular reports, features and photo galleries.

Austria also hosted the Men’s 18 EHF EURO 2012 when the same generation of players took to the court. Back then Germany won, Sweden came second and Denmark placed third. Austria finished sixth.

The previous Men’s 20 EHF EURO took place in Turkey in 2012. Spain won ahead of Croatia and Slovenia. Austria had not qualified.

TEXT: EHF / ts