Slovenia play the waiting game after winning against Bahrain

Slovenia did their bit in their last match in the Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament #1 in Granollers, Spain, taking their second win in the competition, 32:27, against Bahrain, with the European side now waiting for the last match between Spain and Brazil to decide their fate.

On the other hand, with three losses in three matches, Bahrain are out and will not feature at Paris 2024, ending their chances for their second-ever appearance at the Olympic Games.

Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament #1
Slovenia vs Bahrain 32:27 (17:12)

While Slovenia’s fate was out of their hands, they still needed to win to improve their chances of progression for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but the European side was still left reeling after their painful 22:32 loss in the previous match against Spain, which seriously made a dent in their challenge.

And with four minutes on the clock gone, Slovenia had literally no answer for Bahrain, which had a flawless start, taking a 3:0 lead, with the European side’s defence failing to bring the goods to the table, while the attack looked poised and slow.

Yet Slovenia did not go into panic mode, as coach Uros Zorman urged calm and composure from the bench and that worked out wonders, with the plucky Slovenia side bounced back with a 6:1 run, fueled by wings Blaz Janc and Tilen Kodrin, who combined for three goals.

While it was not game over for Bahrain, the Asian side still stayed close, as the difference was hovering around the four-goal mark throughout the whole of the first half, but left back Aleks Vlah took over for Slovenia, as him and Janc combined for eight of Slovenia’s 17 goals in the first half.

Vlah, the hummel Player of the Match, with eight goals scored in the match, was virtually unstoppable, as him and Janc also got bits and pieces of help from right back Nejc Cehte, who had his best match in the Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament #1, scoring four goals and dishing seven more assists, as the gap grew to five goals at the break, 17:12.

There was nothing that Bahrain could do to stop the rut in the second half, as Slovenia never had any doubt about winning the match, with Zorman constantly shuffling his squad. The closest the Asian side got was in the 41st minute, 19:22, but another 6:2 run fueled by Janc, with two goals, and by Borut Mackovsek, with three goals, proved crucial.

Eventually, Slovenia clinched a 32:27 win, doing just enough to keep Bahrain at bay, as the gap was cut in the dying minutes of the match by the Asian side, which can leave the competition with their heads up high.

Any other result than a Brazil win against Spain will see Slovenia through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games now, which will be the fourth time the European side progresses to the competition. 

On the other hand, Bahrain are now out, after their third consecutive loss, as their lack of depth and experience was their undoing both against Brazil and Slovenia, after a painful 12-goal loss in the first match against Spain.

hummel Player of the Match: Aleks Vlah (Slovenia)