Spain resurrects and goes to the second phase of the European women's handball with a bizarre situation

Shandy Barbosa throws himself before the German defense.BORIS PEJOVIC (EFE)

From the depths of the well, without her two starting goalkeepers, with two rookies under the sticks, denied in attack and almost buried in her own doubts.

From so low, the women's handball team rose to defeat Germany (23-21), a by no means minor client, and achieve passage to the second phase of the European Championship, which will take place from Friday to next Wednesday.

Their rivals will be France (4 points), the Netherlands (2) and Romania (0).

Also in the group are Montenegro (4) and Germany (0), with whom they will not meet again.

Two go to the semifinals.

It was so well remade that he still had to negotiate a bizarre ending.

The victory put her in the next round yes or yes, but the points with which she would pass (zero or two) depended on the advantage on the scoreboard.

By a difference of one or two, it placed her with two points in the next station.

But, paradoxically, if he managed it by more, he would do it with zero, because that left out Germany (which he would have beaten) and not Poland (with which he had lost).

According to the classification system of these handball tournaments (also the men's), from the first to the second phase, the points obtained are passed only against the teams that also make it through the round.

A mess.

But a mess that everyone was aware of, and that it was convenient to pretend.

The situation was to remember.

There were two minutes left and Spain, who were attacking, were three up.

Getting it right ruined the plan.

So Paula Arcos, who knows how, sent her out of it.

It was neither easy nor difficult, but she threw it out.

Germany needed to score.

Everyone needed it.

The Germans, to pass the phase and the Warriors, to do it with two points.

However, the Teutonics lost possession.

What did Spain do?

Throwing from their own field trying to take advantage of the fact that there was no goalkeeper… to the clouds.

Possession again for Germany, which was right there with 30 seconds to go.

Xenia Smits came in from the left side and left everyone happy and sighing.

The team, however, still had one last attack left and had to apply makeup.

José Ignacio Prades called a timeout and his players ate possession without throwing.

All happy after an almost surreal outcome.

Relieved by the end, Spain got back on their feet after being shaken by Montenegro and embittered by Poland, two defeats that put everything in question.

But cornered as she was, she gave herself another shot at the championship.

He pressed on defense with a single moment of trouble at the beginning of the second half, he clung to the activity on both sides of Jennifer Gutiérrez, to the courage of Paula Arcos to strike relentlessly, to the exterior punishment of Shandy Barbosa, to the effectiveness of Carmen Campos from seven meters (five goals without fail), and also two goalkeepers (Maddi Aalla and Nicole Wiggins) who had not been seen in another equal and who left an estimable performance.

In the midst of grief, Spain found themselves in the middle of the tournament without their two starting goalkeepers (Silvia Navarro and Merche Castellanos) and the two substitutes (Wiggins had landed in Podgorica a few hours earlier) also did their part to keep the fire alive .

On the other side, the German star, Alina Grijseels, ended up bottomless despite her six goals, and the second great reference, Emily Bölk, was sidelined by two very early exclusions.

The Montenegrin night threatened ruin for the selection.

It had been 20 years since he stayed in the first phase.

The first two games, the accidents under the sticks and the German presence had triggered alarms and pessimism.

But in the end the selection was granted another opportunity.

And with two points, too.

This was the sequence of the end

20-23.

There is one minute left and Germany, who has no goalkeeper, loses the ball.

Jennifer Gutiérrez catches the ball quickly and throws from coast to coast.

But very high.

Germany looked to have thrown away their chance at the #ehfeuro2022 main round...but what's this?

👀

Jennifer Gutiérrez literally throws the ball away, Germany get another chance to progress and Spain move on to the main round with 2 points instead of 0 🤣 pic.twitter.com/geocRlshJt

— (Un)informed Handball Hour (@HandballHour) November 9, 2022

20-23.

45 seconds left.

Germany attacks again.

And Xenia Smits scores.

The goal that pleased everyone (see the second video before).

Within the last minute Spain won by +3.

It happened but with 0p.

Germany attack.

A goal put them in the FP and Spain passed with 2p.

As in a perfect script, the goal that benefited both teams

came ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jUPWqa36gl

– Luis Miguel López (@Luismilolopez5) November 9, 2022

21-23.

Spain attacks after a Prades timeout.

It was not convenient for either of the two teams to have anything happen.

That result pleased everyone.

Both passed to the second phase and Spain did so with two points (see the first video).

Spain, 23 - Germany, 21

Spain

: Aalla (Wiggins);

Gutiérrez (3, 1p), González, Gassama (2), Valdivia (2.1p), Arcos (2), Barbosa (4) ;

Campos (6, 5p.), Echeverría (1), Rodríguez (1), Tchaptchet, Arrojería, Fernández (1).

Germany

: Behrend (Roch);

Grijseels (6), Schmelzer (2), Smits (3), Bolk (1), Behrend (2), Stockschlander (2);

Ant (3), Brons (1p), Maidhof (1), Weigel.

Score every five minutes

: 2-1, 3-2, 6-4, 7-7, 10-9, 11-10;

15-15, 18-16, 21-18, 22-19, 23-21.

Referees

: Braseth and Sundet (Norway).

They excluded González (twice) and Arcos for Spain and Bolk (twice) and Schmelzer for Germany.

Moraca Arena in Podgorica (Montenegro).

This is how the group was

Montenegro, 6 points (4)

Spain, 2 points (2)

Germany, 2 points (0)

Poland, 2 points

*In parentheses, with the points with which they pass

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