Norway will return in the medal match – VG
Last year ended in the quarterfinals. Now Christian O’Sullivan and Norway will be back in the medal match during the European Championships in Hungary and Slovakia in the coming weeks.
The handball boys took their first European Championship medal two years ago after a crushing victory over Slovenia in the bronze final. The semi-final so far inflicted Sander Sagosen & co. the tournament’s only loss – 28-29 for Croatia after four extra innings and great drama.
Last year was not as good for Christian Berge’s crew. They disappeared out of both the World Cup and the Olympics after disappointing performances in the quarterfinals.
– First and foremost, the goal is for us to play good handball. We must perform well. That is the great focus of ours. If we do that, it will have some good consequences, the national team manager told VG before the European Championship opening on Thursday. Saturday’s dress rehearsal resulted in a loss for the European Championship favorite Denmark.
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Rounded out by Denmark in the dress rehearsal: – Kampprustne
Norway launches new championship in Kosice. There, the host nation Slovakia awaits in its first playoff match in 10 years in the opening match in the Steel Arena. The European Championship matches can be watched on TV3 and Viaplay.
Norway in the group stage
Thursday 13.1: Norway – Slovakia (20.30)
Saturday 15.1: Norway – Russia (20.30)
Monday 17.1: Lithuania – Norway (20.30)
– The group game looks very good. A good draw for Norway, says Gøran Johannessen. Norway’s longtime back player lost the Olympics and will not play the European Championships after surgery in both lights just before Christmas.
To nations advance to the main round. Johannessen has great faith that the team will advance to the main round with a full pot – two points.
– There are a few opponents because we have not met them so often, says Christian Berge.
Slovakia bet on tough opposition through the European Championship preparations last year. It resulted in seven straight losses against Spain, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia with some large numbers. Norway has not met the Slovaks in 10 years, but beat them 34-27 in 2012.
Russia has been down in a valley of waves. Last year’s World Cup gave the Russians a disappointing 14th place and not many times that the old great nation has risen to a much higher level. For private matches against Belarus in November, both gave clear losses. Norway has not met the Russians since they were beaten 28-24 on their way to the World Cup silver in 2017.
Lithuania plays its first European Championship final in 24 years. They qualified as one of the four best nations in 3rd place in the European Championship qualifiers – much thanks to a surprising 29-27 victory over Iceland at home in Vilnius. Christian Berge’s Norway lost a European Championship qualifier for the Lithuanians six years ago, but fought back with a 30-20 victory in the preliminary final match against Lithuania the following year.
Anything other than promotion from Group F to the main round will be a Norwegian failure.
Far tougher resistance awaits. By all accounts, Spain and Sweden from Group E. Group D is far more open, but Germany and Poland are tricky favorites to advance to the main round ahead of Belarus and Austria.
The matches in the main round
Wednesday, January 20th.
Friday 22. January.
Sunday, January 24th.
Tuesday, January 26th.
All four matches are played in Ondrej Nepeala Arena in Bratislava. The match time is not determined. Two of the six nations go to the semifinals while team number three in the main round plays for 5th place in the European Championships. For Norway, it will all be about getting to the battles for the medals.
– The key is to get to a level where you can beat – let’s say Spain and Sweden. Two very good handball teams, says Gøran Johannessen.
Sander Sagosen dropped to watch the European Championship final two years ago.
With Glenn Solberg as national team manager, Sweden took World Cup silver a year ago before they finished fifth in the Olympics. Now the Swedes are put on as one of the medal favorites in the European Championships. It is also Spain that comes from bronze in both the World Cup and the Olympics in 2021. Norway has not beaten the Spaniards in 24 years and 18 matches, while the Swede was beaten away in the European Championships two years ago. But Sweden has received a clear promise after Glenn Solberg came in.
But Germany also beat Norway clearly – 28-23 – in the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
– The Germans actually have a very good team, but they have too many delays and many who do not want to play championship. In my world, they are a worse team than Norway. We should beat both Germany and possibly Poland. Then it depends on whether we are either Spain or Sweden, thinks Gøran Johannessen who has played for German Flensburg for the past four years.
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The semifinals
Friday 28. January (18:00 and 20:30)
Here, the two best from Norway’s main round meet the two best from the opposite side of the table. Last year’s Olympic winner France and World Cup winner Denmark clearly stand out as favorites, but here the home team Hungary may get involved with European Championship fours Slovenia.
Both semifinals are played in the Budapest Arena in Hungary. The match for 5th place (15.30) will also be played on the same day.
The finals
Bronze final on Sunday 30 January (3.30 pm)
European Championship final on Sunday 30 January (18.00)
Both matches play in the newly built Budapest Arena. It has a spectator capacity of over 20,000 and will also be used at the end of the women’s Champions League later this season.