Hungary’s flawless second-half performance secures key win over Austria

23 Jan. 2025

Hungary’s flawless second-half performance secures key win over Austria

Hungary mounted a comeback against Austria and secured a crucial 29:26 victory to jump to the second place in the standings of this group. With this win, they now hold the best chance of joining France in the quarter-finals, ahead of the decisive final matches. 

MAIN ROUND GROUP II
Hungary vs Austria 29:26 (12:13)

Austria enjoyed a strong start, opening the match with a 4:2 lead, but Hungary set a solid 6-0 defence, with their second defensive player isolating left back Nemanja Beloš, leaving Austria without a secure backcourt short, as they were missing out both of their right backs and relying on centre back Elias Kofler to fill in this position. 

However, both sides' goalkeepers had their say in the game. Florian Kaiper boasted a 45% save efficiency in the first 15 minutes, while Hungary's Kristóf Palasics was at 35%, and they kept the game tight for a better part of the first half. Hungary's undoing were their turnovers, which allowed Austria to soon see a break as Markus Mahr netted his second for an 11:8 lead.

Austria's first significant lead forced Hungary's coach, Chema Rodriguez, to call for a team time-out, which worked well for Hungary. In the next five minutes they wrestled back and from the 28th minute, the teams were locked (12:12) in a high-pressure game.

Aleš Pajovič's team could not keep their narrow halftime lead for long in the second half, as Hungary stepped up a gear in the opening moments and took the lead in the 35th minute (15:14) for the first time since they had were up 2:1 at the start of the game. The Hungarian fans became louder, singing “Ria, Ria Hungaria”, giving their side additional impetus.

Palasics further built the wall on his goal, putting himself in the spotlight as Hungary's main force with 12 saves at 32% total, alongside right wing Pedro Rodriguez Alvarez, a late call-up to the squad, and his eight goals. Austria struggled to find answers, even with a seven-on-six attack, and their defence buckled under Hungary’s constant pressure. As the clock ticked down, Hungary extended their lead to four goals with five minutes remaining, sealing a well-earned and potentially decisive victory, 29:26.

Hungary leapfrogged the Netherlands in the standings, taking over second place in the group ahead of the last games with five points. In the last match of the main round, they will face Qatar and will have a great chance to secure a quarter-finals berth for the third consecutive time. Austria, remaining fifth with three points, are out of the quarter-finals battle as they will take on the Netherlands on Saturday.

hummel Player of the Match: Kristóf Palasics (Hungary)