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Hungary make big step towards Tokyo

20 Mar. 2021

Hungary make big step towards Tokyo

Hungary have a great chance to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008, as they celebrated a confident 31:23 win against Serbia which was crucial for both sides.

The hosts of the Tournament 2 in Győr, who are on four points after two matches, may mathematically book their ticket to Tokyo later today, unless Kazakhstan beat Russia.

Meanwhile Serbia, who suffered their second straight defeat in the competition, have lost their chance to qualify. 

TOURNAMENT 2
Serbia vs Hungary 23:31 (12:16)

When these rivals met at the Women’s EHF EURO 2020, Hungary earned a commanding 38:26 victory. This time, Gabor Elek’s team won by a smaller margin, yet their advantage was big enough again.  

Both sides were under pressure and looked nervous. However, Hungary had the upper hand from the opening minutes, as goals by Aniko Kovacsics and Sandra Szollosi-Zacsik propelled them to a 5:2 lead.

When Serbia started to play more aggressive in defence, they closed the gap to 5:6. But just like in the opening game against Russia, the Balkan team lacked consistency and were unable to keep a fast pace for a long time. 

“We simply didn’t have a level which is necessary to beat Hungary,” Serbia coach Ljubomir Obradovic said after the match

Hungary benefitted from their opponents’ mistakes, and the home side’s free-flowing attack, combined with saves by Blanka Biro, lifted them to a five-goal lead (13:8) by minute 21.

The tournament hosts also had their ups and downs, and they somewhat slowed down before the break, yet, were quite happy to be in front by four goals at half-time 16:12.

Serbia started the second half with the hope to turn things around, but their fighting spirit alone was not enough. Hungary had more depth in the squad, looked more focused and were better in defence. 

Szollosi-Zacsik, who finished the game with seven goals, continued to score, and midway through the second half, the tournament hosts increased the gap to 25:17.

“Every member of the team contributed to our success, which is a big joy for a coach. Today our big dream may come true, unless Kazakhstan make a big surprise against Russia,” Hungary coach Gabor Elek said. 

Although veteran right back Marina Dmitrovic did well in Serbian attack, her effort was not enough as Biro continued to make spectacular saves for Hungary.

And when Kinga Janurik replaced Biro late in the match, she immediately saved a penalty, and then stopped a couple more balls, making her contribution to the team success.

The gap between the teams was big enough, and the dominant Hungary went on to clinch their second straight victory, jumping with joy after the buzzer. 

Photo: HHF/Anikó Kovács