New Norwegian handball loss – France best with 31-25
The case is being updated.
On Thursday, it was a 28-31 defeat against Denmark for Norway. In the meantime, it was Norwegian 40-29 over the Netherlands.
Simen Holand Pettersen has used the week to make a breakthrough on the national team.
– He has submitted an insanely good application (for a European Championship place), I think, said national team manager Christian Berge to TV 2.
Berge has booked test matches the week before the start of the European Championships in the new year. Then Norway plays against Danes in Copenhagen and France in Paris.
Then all three teams will be significantly sharpened compared to the 4-nation tournament in Trondheim. The battles in the capital of Trøndelag showed that Denmark and France have greater breadth at the top than Norway. It also means that the very best Norwegian guys must take control in the European Championships if it is to end with a title.
The French won the Olympics earlier this summer, but only four of the players from the Tokyo Games were against Norway.
Overthrow
France led 17-13 at the break and had good control of the match in the second round. Norway was severely punished for boom shots and technical errors. Goalkeeper Kristian Sæverås started on the bench, but came in for Torbjørn Bergerud and did well.
Berge led Norway for the 139th time. He made his debut in April 2014 against France with a 25-27 loss.
Sander Sagosen did not play for the Norwegian team for another day in a row. The same applied to Harald Reinkind and Magnus Abelvik Rød.
The European Handball Championship will be held in Slovakia and Hungary from 13 to 30 January. Norway took the bronze in the European Championship in 2019. Spain won the final over Croatia.
(© NTB)