This is not how the Israeli handball team expected to open the European Championship qualifying campaign, when today (Sunday) recorded its second loss against the Czech team - 29:19.
Yoav Lambrozo, photo: Hadar Van Kola
After the 15-goal loss in Iceland in the first round, Dragan Jokic's trainees hoped to bring their first points in front of over a thousand spectators at Shlomo Hall in Tel Aviv, but they encountered a quality and tough opponent - one that has already registered 11 Euro qualifiers - and is on the safe path, along with Iceland (which beat Estonia 25:37) towards the championship to be held in 2024 in Germany.
At the end of two rounds, Iceland and the Czech Republic lead the house with 4 points, Estonia and Israel with no points, when the next matches will be held in March against Estonia - and will probably determine the third place at home, from which there is a chance to qualify for the European Championship (the 4 teams with the ranking the best of the 8 houses), but right now the road looks complicated and long also because of the goal difference.
Coach Dragan Jokic, who took office a few weeks before the campaign, said at the end:
"First of all, I want to congratulate the Czech Republic. Their game was better, and you can learn from both sides. They knew how to do everything they wanted to do. I Disappointed only with the start of the second half, that they made a 3:0 run and the game went to one side."
"We fought, but it wasn't enough. They are better than us, but not by ten goals. In the last 10 days, our players came with hunger, to fight, worked hard for this game, why did it happen differently - we will join in checking and investigating" .
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