Title-holders Spain in Mediterranean control

After 36 matches, the preliminary round of the 18th Men’s Mediterranean Handball Confederation (MHC) Championship has completed at the Turkish Handball Federation Hall in Ankara, Turkey with Egypt, Croatia, Spain and Montenegro looking strong.

The championship features nine teams, including host nation Turkey (TUR) alongside Croatia (CRO), Egypt (EGY), Greece (GRE), Italy (ITA), Kuwait (KUW), Montenegro (MNE), Romania (ROU) and Spain (ESP) playing from 20 to 27 February 2022.

The Mediterranean Handball Confederation competitions follow the IHF Rules of the Game (Indoor Handball), but with some specific technical adaptations, click here for more information. 

Title-holders Spain are looking in pole position to retain their title after ending top of the preliminary round on 37 points after their eight games. Croatia finished in second (33), with Egypt in third (30.5) ahead of Montenegro in fourth (22.5).

All four teams go through to the semi-finals set to be played this evening in Turkey with Spain facing Montenegro – who they beat for gold in 2020 – and Egypt playing Croatia, a repeat of their 2020 quarter-final clash.

It was no surprise that Spain finished the preliminary round as top scorers (241 goals) and with the best defence (146 goals conceded), dropping just three points from a possible 40, thanks to two drawn periods against Croatia and Romania and losing periods against Egypt and Greece.

Preliminary round review

The end of the first day saw Egypt end on top with 10 points, thanks to two wins including all six periods, with Spain (9.5) and Romania (5.5) behind. The two European powerhouses of Croatia and Spain played out a 30:22 win for Spain, which saw them take two periods and draw the third (10:10).

Day two saw a classic, with Egypt and Croatia playing out two drawn periods, but the Croatians taking an overall 22:21 (8:7, 7:7, 7:7) victory, which played into the hands of Spain, who played just once, downing Kuwait. 

Egypt kept their lead overnight, on 16 points, but Spain were breathing down their necks, just 1.5 points behind (14.5) and the teams faced off in the early morning of day three. 

Spain had taken an 18:12 lead into the third period, winning both of the previous two, but a strong Egyptian comeback fell just short overall, despite taking the final period 11:9 with Spain securing a 27:23 victory. Spain then backed it up with a 25:18 win over Romania, winning two and drawing one of the periods.

By the end of the day this was enough for the Spain team to overtake Egypt, leading by one at the top on 22 points, with Croatia in third on 18.

Another two wins for Spain on day four against Greece and Italy with all six periods won then extended their overall lead to four points (32), but this time ahead of Croatia (28), who restricted both Italy and Montenegro to nine goals each. Egypt went into the final preliminary day in third, on 27 points.

Despite the top three teams dominating, the focus had been on the battle for the fourth and final semi-final spot. Greece were playing catch-up with Montenegro, but a 22:22 draw with Kuwait was not enough as Montenegro ended the penultimate day five points ahead of them and the better head-to-head record with just one game to play.

That final day saw a preview of one of the semi-finals, with Spain winning all three periods against Montenegro, to take a 30:24 (11:8, 10:9, 9:7) victory, a result they hope will repeat later today.

Match schedule

All times local

Friday 25 February
16:00 Placement round 5-8: ROU vs ITA
17:15 Placement round 5-8: GRE vs TUR
18:30 Semi-final: ESP vs MNE
19:45 Semi-final: CRO vs EGY

Saturday 26 February
12:15 7/8 Placement match
13:30 5/6 Placement match
14:45 3/4 Placement/Bronze-medal match
16:00 Final/Gold-medal match

All games are being streamed live and on demand on the Turkish Handball Federation Facebook page. 

For more information on the championship, click here  or visit mhconf.org.  

Photo: Turkish Handball Federation