Hungary end on a high

Golovin Vlagyimir took his fourth win with his Hungary side at Spain 2021 with a hard-fought seven-goal win over the Republic of Korea who return home having collected three wins in their six games.

MAIN ROUND GROUP III
Republic of Korea vs Hungary 28:35 (15:18)

Coaches prefer to end championships – not matter what their final ranking – with a win and so it was for Hungary, who ended their Spain 2021 campaign with victory against Korea to ensure they finish third in Main Round Group III behind Denmark and Germany who play later tonight.

A near-75% first half conversion rate for the European side saw them take a three-goal lead into the half-time break in a match which was a repeat of 2018 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship semi-final in Hungary – with a number of players featuring from three years ago on court in Granollers on Sunday night on both sides.

“I feel so appreciative of our players,” said coach Jang In-Ik who was potentially in his last game with Korea after takin. “We’ve learned a lot from this championship and that we need to develop more.”

Captain Lee Migyeong did her best to cajole and inspire her team but with a scoring rate of under 60% throughout the first half, they were lucky to be in touch at the break (15:18).

The fun of Korean handball was in evidence as well – an in-flight here, an aggressive 3-3 defence there – and the spirit of the squad shone through from court with Jeong Hyunhui leading the smile from the bench.

However, Hungary went about their business, led by Noemi Hafra – one of those 2018 players – who scored eight times and goalkeeper Blanka Biro with 15 saves. However, Lee was awarded the best player award for her six goals and six assists which had delighted the fans in Spain.

“Our first goal was to go to the quarter-final and we’re really sad we couldn’t go there,” said Migyeong, who cried upon receiving the award from Dr Chung Hyung-Kyun, former coach of the Korean women’s team who won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games.

“We’re really happy to have these new experiences and we should learn the European style (more) and from that we can shoot for better results from the next championship.”

“In the first half we were prepared against the opponent,” said Hungary coach Vlagyimir. “Both teams play very fast handball and we started well. We have some very talented players in the squad and a few of them have had their first big tournament for the first time, just like me. Our main goal is Paris 2024 and every big tournament can be a very good experience for me and these talented players.” 

“It was really tough and tiring with a lot of running and footwork,” added left wing Greta Marton, who also played against Korea back in 2018. “I’m happy because we won four games, but also disappointed that we lost two important games against Germany and Denmark.”

hummel Player of the Match: Lee Migyeong, Korea