Hungary and Sweden top the rest at 17 EHF Beach Handball EUROs 2021

12 Jul. 2021

Hungary and Sweden top the rest at 17 EHF Beach Handball EUROs 2021

An action-packed four days in Varna, Bulgaria concluded on Sunday when Sweden and Hungary were crowned winners in the Men’s and Women’s 17 EHF Beach Handball EUROs 2021.

For the first time ever, Sweden won the Men’s 17 EHF Beach Handball EURO, after a near flawless performance.

Led by a star in the making in Victor Paldanius, who scored 133 points in eight games, Sweden shrugged off a 2-1 loss against Slovenia (24:12, 18:19, 4:5) in the first game of the tournament, to embark on a seven-game winning run in the main round and semi-finals, culminating with a superb, yet dramatic win in the final against Spain.

Losing the first set against Spain 21:30, Sweden bounced back and led by as many as six in the second set. With just four seconds left on the clock, Spain tied the game, taking the game into a shoot-out. It was just poetic justice that Paldanius scored the tying goal.

After eight penalties converted for each team, Sweden missed, but Spain quickly followed, as goalkeeper Oscar Johansson produced another flying save to hand Paldanius the chance to seal the win. The top scorer of the tournament duly obliged and converted the penalty to bring Sweden their first-ever piece of silverware at the 17 EHF Beach Handball EURO.

Ukraine beat Croatia in straight sets, 2-0 (24:21, 16:12) to win the bronze medal.

Spain’s Joaquin Varo Gallardo was elected the MVP of the tournament, while Sweden’s Oscar Johansson was named the best defender, with the best goalkeeper award going to Croatia’s Antonio Kranjevic. 

In the women’s tournament, Hungary went to two shoot-outs to deliver the goods for the eighth time, cementing their position as the top side in the category.

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The Hungarian side went undefeated both in the group phase and in the main round, dropping only one set, before embarking on a roller-coaster journey on Sunday, in the knock-out phase.

The semi-final pitted Hungary against Spain and it looked like plain sailing for the Hungarian side, who took the first set, 17:12. Spain bounced back with an emphatic 20:10 in the second set, only to be eliminated in the shoot-out, 6:7.

Hungary went down early in the final against the Netherlands, conceding the first set, 20:25, but took the second set after leading early, 19:14.

At the penalty shoot-out, the Netherlands missed two penalties in a row, but a Hungarian miss breathed new life in the Dutch side. Hungary’s Kitti Kreuz converted the decisive shot, bringing back the gold for the Hungarian side after a three-year wait.

In the bronze-medal game, Spain won in straight sets, 2-0 (22:18, 17:16).

Spain’s Malena Diaz Coppens, the second-best scorer, with 108 points, was named the MVP of the tournament, with her teammate, Andrea Perez Rull, securing the best defender award. Hungary’s Dorottya Zentai was the top scorer of the tournament, with 123 points. 

Varna remains the centre of beach handball these days, with the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2021 throwing off on Tuesday, 13 July.

For more information, visit the European Handball Federation website.

Photos: European Handball Federation