“A crazy week of handball” would probably be the best definition of what fans enjoyed in the last seven days.
In both groups, we had to wait until the last minute of the last main round game to know which teams will grab a ticket for the final weekend.
And while there is still plenty of exciting action on the schedule for this weekend, it is worth taking a look at what we learnt so far.
It is not over until handball says it is over
Twice in two days a team nearly let their final weekend ticket slip from their grasp before catching it at the last second.
In group II, Sweden had to turn around a bad situation against Norway to snatch their ticket in the final whistle. Glen Solberg’s men had to overcome a five-goal deficit in the last five minutes to reach their first EHF EURO semi-final since 2018.
The same thing happened with France, as ‘Les Bleus’ were down by five against Denmark with 15 minutes left to play, before Dika Mem and Nikola Karabatic pushed their team into the final weekend.
Lefthanders rule at the EHF EURO
After the main round, the three best scorers of the EHF EURO are left-handers, though none of them have seen their team qualify for the semi-finals. Ómar Ingi Magnusson will still have a chance to keep his top spot, playing the 5/6 placement match on Friday. Arkadiusz Moryto and Kay Smits, on the other hand, have no chance of adding any more goals to their record.
With Magnusson being 10 goals ahead of the closest semi-final participant, Mikkel Hansen, there is a real chance that the Icelandic right back might lift the top scorer trophy on Sunday night.
New faces shine in the main round
We might be used to teams like Denmark, France, Sweden or Spain headlining international competitions. But it is more a surprise to see the likes of the Netherlands, Iceland, Montenegro and Russia challenging.
These four teams, made of young players, have brought a breath of fresh air in the tournament, and will definitely be back again in the seasons to come. All these countries have been planning ahead for a couple of years and they are reaping the benefits of their efforts.
With individual stars playing in the best clubs in Europe and coaches able to make them produce their best handball, no doubt the future editions of the EHF EURO will be just as exciting.
Spain, ready for another success?
They might have brought new players this time. They might still be playing completely differently compared to their other teams, but they are still there. Spain never fell for the hurrah-handball fashion, you will never see Spaniards running like crazy around the court, and their style still works perfectly.
After winning the last two editions of the EHF EURO, Spain are ready to write history for the third time in 2022.
The two best attacks in the final weekend
Looking for handball action this weekend? The Budapest Handball Arena will be the place to be on Friday and Sunday.
The two best offences of the tournament will be there, as Denmark and France both scored more than 30 goals per game on average - hitting 214 and 213 goals across the seven games so far. No doubt that their motivation will be at the highest to reach for the trophy after missing the EHF EURO party two years ago.
With Spain and Sweden also on the court, in a setting as majestic as the Budapest Arena, we are undoubtedly heading into one of the best handball weekends of the year.
