06.10.2021, 10:00
Victorious debut for new Spanish coach Prades

ROUND 1 REVIEW: World Championship hosts defeat Slovakia despite a shaky second half

After Hungary had started with a 34:24 victory in this group, Spain remained on winning ways in the end. But the Slovaks pressured the hosts of the 2021 World Championship in the middle of the second half and almost spoiled the debut of the new Spanish head coach Jose Ignacio Prades.  

GROUP 5

Spain vs. Slovakia 33:28 (17:11) 

• From 4:4, Spain scored six goals in a row and kept this six-goal advance until the break. 
• Slovakia clearly improved in the second half, reduced the gap goal-by-goal and were close to turn the match around at 22:23.
• Finally the match was decided, when Almudena Rodriguez scored the 30:26 four minutes before the end to seal Spain's fifth win over Slovakia in five matches.
• Lara Gonzalez and Alicia Fernandez were top scorers for the hosts with six goals each, in total, eleven players were on the score sheet. 
• Reka Bizik (9 goals), Nikoleta Trunkova and Simona Szarkova (both 7) scored 23 out of 28 for the Slovaks. 

“Nacho” Prades starts his mission successfully 

One month after the early elimination in the preliminary round of the Olympic Games and less than three months before the World Championship on home ground starts, the Royal Spanish Handball Federation changed their coach. They agreed with Carlos Viver to finish the contract and promoted his former assistant coach Jose Ignacio Prades. “Nacho” Prades still coaches Spanish top club Mecalia Atletico Guardes. Prades has 29 years of coaching experience and had been assistant coach when Spain won the silver medal at the 2019 World Championship in Japan. Now he is supposed to win more silver ware on home soil.

TEXT: EHF / Björn Pazen