Even an 18-goal defeat against Brazil this Sunday would qualify for the Olympic ticket.
GRANOLLERS, 16 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s handball team is one step away from qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a new Olympic event in which they will try to repeat or improve the bronze from Tokyo 2020 in which they will not fail except for catastrophe in the duel against Brazil, this Sunday at 5:45 p.m. at the Palau d’Esports in Granollers (Barcelona).
If the Hispanics win; ticket to Paris. If Jordi Ribera’s men tie; ticket to Paris. And if Spain loses up to 18 goals against Brazil; ticket to Paris. What must happen so that the party does not take place in Granollers? Lose by 19 or more goals. Something very unlikely and even more so seeing the level given against Bahrain and, above all, against Slovenia.
The group led by Jordi Ribera is showing that what happened in the European Championship has no continuity. You learn from everything, according to the Catalan coach, and they are corroborating it with, so far, two great games in Granollers. There is one left, the work remains to be finished and doing it well would help to continue growing and to continue gaining confidence.
In no fan’s mind, even a Hispanic one, does losing against Brazil by 19 or more goals come into play. The South American team, the same one that helped launch Ribera in the past, is clearly on the rise but is still far from being able to achieve such a great feat against a Spain that, as host, will not give anything away. Not even the party.
It remains to be seen if there will be changes to the roster, to know if Dani Dujshebaev recovers from the discomfort that prevented him from playing against Slovenia. But the truth is that, according to what Jordi Ribera said after overwhelming Slovenia, Spain will close its Olympic Qualifiers with victory. There’s no doubt. Although what can happen, in this and many other sports, is unknown.
Spain was left out of Rio 2016 for losing the Sweden Olympic Qualifiers against, among other teams, Slovenia. They did go to Tokyo 2020 and won the bronze medal. Now, Paris 2024 is just around the corner, in the Hispanic wardrobe it already smells like a ‘baguette’, a ‘croissant’, an iris or a fleur-de-lis… Whatever reminds them most of Paris.
The confirmation is missing, the payment of the first class ticket to the Olympic Games this summer, against a powerful Brazil that is still alive. If they isolate themselves from the Spanish euphoria, if they focus on themselves, they can win and surpass Slovenia in the average to accompany the Hispanics to the French capital. In fact, it is enough for Brazil to win. And they come from losing against Slovenia by the minimum (27-26) and beating Bahrain also by 1 (24-25).
SPAIN: Pérez de Vargas (p), Corrales (p); Cañellas, Casado, Á.Dujshebaev, D.Fernández, Á.Fernández, Figueras, García, Garciandia, Gómez, Guardiola, Morros, Serdio, Solé and Tarrafeta.
BRAZIL: Da Rosa (p), Martins (p); Da Silva, Torriani, Moraes, Petrus, Silva Santos, Dutra Ferreira, Langaro, Lima de Carvalho, Hackbarth, Oliveira, Monte, Filho, Rodrigues and Dupoux.
–REFEREES: To be confirmed.
–PAVILION: Granollers Sports Hall.
–TIME: 17:45/Teledeporte and RTVE Play.
