MADRID, 7 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s handball team complicated its future in the European Championship that is being played in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro after conceding its second defeat in the group stage when it fell 21-22 to Poland on Monday after a bad end of match.
Spain needed to beat the Poles after their opening setback against Montenegro, but let a game slip away that they seemed to have controlled in the final stretch of the second half when they led 20-16. At that time, she went almost ten minutes without scoring and her rival did not waste it to force her to beat Germany this Wednesday in order to advance to the Main Round.
It was again difficult for the Spanish team to start at the Moraca Sports Center, although this time the damage caused by their rival was less than on the day of the premiere. José Ignacio Prades’ team started erratically and Poland initially took control (1-3) until the Spanish defense adjusted.
From the work behind, the ‘Guerreras’ definitely got into the game. The robberies surfaced and the Poles got stuck entering a carousel of errors that the national team did not fully take advantage of.
Under the scoring leadership of Shandy Barbosa (5 goals), Spain lived its best moments settled in a 6-1 partial that gave it a good advantage in the electronic (7-4). The Spanish, however, did not give it continuity, they became entangled in the losses and the Poles, thanks to Matuszczyk’s work on the pivot and Kobylinska’s fourth goal at the buzzer, left everything even at halftime (12-12).
The second half was marked by mistakes on both sides, which meant that hardly any relevant offensive actions were seen. The goals fell with a dropper and neither of the two teams knew how to take advantage of it to break the prevailing equality.
Then, Mercedes Castellanos appeared in the goal to chain several meritorious saves and launch the attack of her teammates, with an inspired Sole López. Spain managed to break the game again and seemed to be getting closer to victory when a fatal short circuit appeared.
Shandy Barbosa put the score at 20-16 just over ten minutes away and Poland was ‘touched’, unable to hit the key in their attack. And against all odds, the ones that fell apart were the ‘Guerreras’ who in the almost eleven remaining minutes only scored one more goal.
The Poles did not let it go to chain a 0-6 partial that was definitive despite the fact that Paula Arcos broke the drought and Spain, with the bad news of the possible injury of Mercedes Castellanos, still had the last ball to tie, in a attack that ended in a new loss.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: SPAIN, 21 – POLAND, 22 (12-12, at halftime).
–EQUIPMENT.
SPAIN: Mercedes Castellanos (P), Maddi Aalla (P), Alicia Fernandez (1), Carmen Campos (1 pen), Esther Arrojeria, Lara Gonzalez (1), Shandy Barbosa (7, 3 pen), Almudena Rodriguez, Paula Arcos (3), Soledad Lopez (6), Paula Valdivia, Maitane Echeverria, Kaba Gassama (2) and Lysa Tchaptchet
POLONIA: Placzek (P), Zima (P), Olek (2), Labuda (4), Kobylinska (5), Balsam (2 de pen), Wiertelak (1), Matuszczyk (2), Rosiak, Nosek (1) , Michalak, Kochaniak-Sala (4), Achruk (1) y Nocum.
–PARTIALS EVERY FIVE MINUTES: 1-2, 2-3, 5-4, 7-4, 9-8, 12-12 –break– 13-14, 14-14, 15-15, 20-16 , 20-19 and 21-22.
–REFEREES: Prastalo and Balvan (BIH). Valdivia, Gassama, Echeverria and Arrojeria, for Spain, and Nosek (2) and Kochaniak (2), for Poland, were excluded for two minutes.
–PAVILLION: Moraca Sports Center.
