Terrible start of the women's handball team in the European

Silvia Navarro, surpassed in a throw from Montenegro before leaving injured. SAVO PRELEVIC (AFP)

The women's handball team started the European Championship in the worst way: a resounding defeat against Montenegro (30-23), beaten from start to finish and broken under the sticks.

On the brink of the break, if at that point the low weight of the goal in Spain's game (only two interventions) was not enough, Silvia Navarro's left knee ended up turning on the red alert.

The 43-year-old Valencian limped away, hardly supporting her leg and with very worrying gestures of pain.

The panorama was already crooked and what came later deepened the crisis of the Warriors, who in almost the entire second half could only aspire to reduce the wound and avoid a greater difference by thinking about future options.

The Balkans, an estimable middle class on the continent in recent tournaments, were very far from the girls of José Ignacio Prades, who had a lot of work ahead and little time to reassemble a team without ideas at the premiere.

Spain came out onto the pitch in Podgorica and ran into a rock in defense, indecipherable for the team no matter how much Prades asked his players to be more intelligent and to open up spaces.

There was no way.

The 6-1 start showed the problems of a team that took 12 minutes to score in static attack and that in 20 barely added four goals.

He neither found the wingers nor struck from the outside -something that they have always had a hard time with due to their characteristics- and to top it off he accumulated two failures from seven meters.

A great wasteland.

The goal didn't work either: Rajcic's 46% success at the break compared to the poor 8% with which Silvia Navarro retired very sore on the verge of the break.

The only relief for the Guerreras was the losses of Montenegro (11 in the first half) and one more adjustment point behind during a stretch.

The locals managed to shut down in attack for eight minutes, but Spain did not take much advantage of it either: 12-9 at halftime.

Every static attack was a pain.

The reflection time did not improve the landscape, hanging the selection of Shandy Barbosa, author of the first three targets of Montenegro.

But beyond the veteran, little or nothing in attack.

Until the 43rd of the second half she did not find another scorer: Lara González in a counterattack.

So, without excesses, the hosts took a quick lead: 19-12 in the 42nd minute. There was no attack and the defense was not able to prevail.

The party in the stands was great and the local advantage, too: eight away in the 48th minute (22-14).

Prades called to order to try to apply a tourniquet to the wound, went up defense lines and only then, plus a local relaxation point, managed to contain damage.

The early resolution of the clash allowed Spain to reach some somewhat neater figures in attack.

Poor consolation for a very negative premiere and, looking at the infirmary, very worrying.

The next appointment, next Monday against Poland (20.30, Teledeporte), will force us to multiply the benefits after a very disappointing start in all sections.

Montenegro, 30 - Spain, 23

Montenegrin

: Rajcic;

Radicevic (5, 2p), Malovic (4), Raicevic (3), Jaukovic (5, 1p), Pavicevic (3) and Brnovic (4) -initial team- Batinovic (ps), Kadonic (-), Pletikosic (- ), Godec (-), Bulatovic (-), Popovic (-), Corovic (-), Alivodic (3) and Grbic (3)

Spain

: Navarro;

Campos (4, 3p), Almudena Rodríguez (-), Tchaptchet (1), Gassama (1), Barbosa (5) and Sole López (1p) -initial team- Castellanos (ps), Arrojeria (2), Jennifer Gutierrez ( 3), Etxeberria (1), Lara González (2), Spugnini (-), Espínola (-), Valdivia (-) and Arcos (3).

Score every five minutes

: 3-0, 5-1, 6-3, 8-4, 11-7 and 12-9 (half-time);

15-10, 18-12, 20-14, 23-16, 27-21 and 30-23 (Final)

Referees

: Ana Vranes and Marlis Wenninger.

Jaukovic, Raicevic, Kadovic, Gassama (2) and Spugnini were excluded for two minutes.

Moraca Sports Center in Podgorica.

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