12.03.2021, 08:30
Mathe and Mikler make Hungary happy

EURO CUP REVIEW: Slovakia end with another clear home defeat, as Mikler saves 21 shots for Hungary

By winning the away match in Bratislava clearly 30:15, Hungary put themselves equal with Croatia at the top of the EURO CUP ranking.

The hurdle in the first duel of the two EHF EURO 2022 hosts was not that high, as the Slovaks – still on zero points – could not lift their level of performance compared to the clear 18:30 defeat against Spain in the same venue on Wednesday. They meet Hungary again on Sunday.

EHF EURO CUP
Slovakia vs Hungary 15:30 (8:17)

• thanks to another amazing performance by goalkeeper Roland Mikler, who was close to 60 per cent saved shots at one point, Hungary easily forged ahead. Mikler finished with 21 saves
• the first goal was the one and only time Slovakia held the advantage. Hungary’s first crucial run was from 8:5 to 13:5, establishing an unbreakable lead
• right after the break, Hungary re-started with another 4:0 run and Slovakia only scored five goals in the first 23 minutes of the second half
• Dominik Mathe scored one-third of the Hungarian goals – 10 strikes from 12 attempts
• the re-match in Györ will be played on Sunday at 14:00 CET (live on EHFTV)

Dominik Mathe, another Hungarian star on the rise

Even though goalkeeper Roland Mikler and line player Bence Banhidi were the top stars for Hungary at the 2021 World Championship in Egypt, another player made it into the spotlight: Dominik Mathe.

The 21-year-old right back was the third best Hungarian scorer in Egypt, where his side finished fifth. Mathe’s route to success has been unusual, as he moved from Hungary to Norway, where he plays for Elverum. He will surely now be watched by many top clubs.

TEXT: EHF / Björn Pazen