20.04.2022, 08:00
Poland continue victorious run in style

GROUP 1 REVIEW: Lithuania not given a chance at home against group winners

After winning the first leg 36:22 at home, Poland remained on their winning run with another clear victory; beating Lithuania on their ground 40:27. The already-qualified team of Norwegian-born coach Arne Senstad stay on maximum points, now ten from five matches - and hope to make this their best ever result in EHF EURO qualifiers. Impossible for them to pass second-ranked Switzerland, Lithuania were out of the race for the EHF EURO before today’s match, and are still on two points at the end of the qualification. 

GROUP 1 

Lithuania vs Poland 27:40 (15:19)

• it was the sixth Polish victory against Lithuania in seven matches, and the fourth by a gap of ten or more goals. 
• until the score of 15:15 in minute 27, the match was quite equal, then Poland scored four straight goals for a clear half-time gap. 
• allowing the hosts to only score four times in 14 minutes, Poland pulled ahead to their first double-figured advantage at 29:19 
• finally scoring 40 goals, Poland levelled their record in the EHF EURO qualification, which they scored as many in the 40:13 win against Italy in 2017 
• best scorers were Roberta Strope, scoring ten times for the hosts, and Aneta Lebuda with nine goals for Poland 

Poland hope to end their curse 

Poland had already qualified for the EHF EURO 2022 before the Round 5 match at Lithuania as group winners. Being part of Pot 2 at the draw event at Ljubljana on 28 April, they hope to end the curse of missing the main round after finishing 15th at the EHF EURO 2016 and 14th at both of the final tournaments in 2018 and 2020. Playing their in total ninth EHF EURO, their best result in the final ranking was fifth position in 1998.

TEXT: EHF / Björn Pazen