Spain rebounded from a slow start at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, scoring 17 goals in the second half against Slovenia, to clinch a 25:22 win, in the first match of the men’s competition at this edition of the Olympics.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP A
Spain vs Slovenia 25:22 (8:11)

Spain’s 2024 has largely been underwhelming, with the team that previously won four bronze medal at the Olympic Games missing out on a main round berth at the EHF EURO for the first time in history, while the Qualification Europe doubleheader against Serbia saw “Los Hispanos” clinch a win, 54:53, by the slightest of margins.

Nevertheless, Spain were quite confident ahead of their opener at Paris 2024 against Slovenia, as they had previously met their European counterparts in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #1 in Granollers in March, taking a clear 32:22 win.

But this was not a match on their home court and Spain’s underwhelming attack, a far cry from their absolutely fantastic performances from a few years ago, could only score eight goals in the first half, with their scoring efficiency dropping to under 50%. But while Spain struggled, Slovenia thrived.

This was a good defensive display from Slovenia, with some backing from goalkeeper Klement Ferlin, who saved seven shots in the first half, while veteran centre back Dean Bombac scored nearly half of his team’s goals, putting five past Gonzalo Perez de Vargas, while fellow back Aleks Vlah added two more goals.

With a three-goal lead at the break, 11:8, Slovenia looked like were up to something here, especially as they limited Spain to single digits in the first half. But the question was how much Spain could improve in the second half, as that would surely be the thing that tilts the scales into one way or another.

The answer came quite quick, as Spain scored eight times between the 39th and the 46th minute, taking full advantage of Slovenia’s mistakes, as Uros Zorman’s side collapsed in attack, turning the ball over too many times. In fact, Spain scored eight goals in this interval of seven minutes, as much as they did in the entire first half.

Three of those goals came from right back Jorge Maqueda, while other two were scored by right wing Aleix Gomez, as Spain turned a three goal deficit to a three-goal lead, 19:16, with a 8:2 run, which basically saw Slovenia crumbling under the pressure of Spain’s improved attack.

Perez de Vargas also shined between Spain’s posts, with 15 saves for a 43% saving efficiency, as “Los Hispanos” still had to fight until the end, with Slovenia constantly pushing and pressing, cutting the gap to one goal, 20:19, with six minutes and 30 seconds to go in the match.

But Spain were too strong, too experienced and knew how to control the match in the final minutes. With long attacks, a bit of luck, and a steal turned into a goal from Daniel Fernandez Jimenez, who scored four goals in his first match at the Olympic Games, Spain eventually cruised to a 25:22 win, opening their account at Paris 2024.