Israel shock Slovenia, second wins for Croatia and Italy
Round 2 of the Men's EHF EURO 2028 Qualifiers started with a bang: Israel took a 31:28 victory at Slovenia, causing the first surprise of the competition, while Italy (at Belgium) and Croatia (at Finland) took their each second wins of the competition.
We were one step behind from the beginning. Of course we have to remember that Croatia are a top class team and losing by 10 goals to them is not the worst possible result. Still, I feel we could have done better. We have many young players and players who have not been in the team very long and maybe that shows a little bit too much.
It was a good game from us. Two games in a row and we really needed to be concentrated. We made maybe too many technical errors, but all in all I am pleased with both the result and our performance today.
I simply don't have the right answer for our game. In the first half, we could have built a slightly bigger lead, despite the huge number of technical errors on our part. We made as many as 10, and on top of that, we missed six easy scoring chances. At the start of the second half, the Israelis went on a 5-0 run, and after falling behind by that large margin, we didn't know how to claw our way back. In the turning points of the match, we got within two goals, but then made a few more technical errors. Today, we simply weren't ourselves. The qualifications are not in jeopardy, there are still many games ahead of us.
It was a really tough match for us, especially at the beginning when we struggled to find our rhythm and control the game. Our goalkeepers kept us in the match throughout, which was extremely important. In the second half, however, we were outstanding. We took control of the game, managed our opportunities well and played excellent defence. We didn’t allow them to score from fast breaks, which was a key factor in our performance. I’m really proud of the team and the amazing work they put in.
We started the match well, building a three-goal lead, but then we made a few mistakes, which allowed them to get back into the game quite easily and take the lead before half-time. After the break, we missed too many chances, allowing them to extend their lead to seven goals. We managed to claw back a little, but we didn’t score enough goals. Defensively, we’ve sorted out a few things, but not quite enough yet.
I’m very pleased that we’ve started this campaign with two wins. We analysed Belgium’s matches in Germany and against Greece thoroughly, which meant we were well prepared for this match. We conceded 11 goals in the first half, and just nine in the second. Domenico (Ebner) put in an excellent performance in goal. In attack, I felt we made too many technical errors. At a higher level, against teams like Egypt or Germany, you simply can’t win that way. So we need to stay more focused.
