11.08.2021, 12:00
Switzerland and Bosnia Herzegovina advance in Skopje

INTERMEDIATE REVIEW: Switzerland and Bosnia Herzegovina have qualified for semi-finals at the Men's 19 EHF Championship in North Macedonia

After a total of six matches played in the preliminary round at the Men's 19 EHF Championship in North Macedonia, two teams from group B have qualified for the semi-finals: Switzerland and Bosnia Herzegovina.

In group A, which is a three-team group, Poland are top of the standings after beating Greece by 11 goals in their only match played so far.

GROUP A

• in the group opener on Friday, Poland led 13:9 against Greece at half-time and increased their advantage to 28:17 at full-time  
• on Tuesday, Greece bounced back from their opening round defeat to beat North Macedonia 30:26
• if Poland avoid defeat on Thursday against North Macedonia, Poland and Greece will progress to the semi-finals 

Poland bidding for another Skopje final

At the Women's 19 EHF Championship 2021 in North Macedonia, which was played earlier in the summer, Poland lost to the Netherlands in the final. While Poland have only played one match in the Men's 19 EHF Championship, their assured performance against Greece should give them confidence that they can reach a second final at a Younger Age Category tournament in Skopje this summer.

GROUP B

• Switzerland top the group on goal difference after big wins against Georgia (38:20) and Ukraine (37:14)
• Bosnia Herzegovina have also beaten the same opponents by similar margins. Bosnia Herzegovina beat Ukraine 37:19 and Georgia 40:24 
• Georgia and Ukraine are both out of semi-final contention, and Thursday's match between Switzerland and Bosnia Herzegovina will decide which side tops the group

Switzerland make strong impression

With 75 goals scored in two games, Switzerland's attack sits just below Bosnia Herzegovina, who have scored 77 goals, but three players for Switzerland have already scored 10 goals or more in the preliminary round: Gian Attenhofer (13 goals), Noam Leopold (11 goals) and Robin Heinis (10 goals).

When the two teams meet on Thursday, strong individual performances from multiple players would greatly enhance Switzerland's chance of clinching first place in group B.

TEXT: European Handball Federation