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European derbies headline crucial round in Group B

29 Jul. 2021

European derbies headline crucial round in Group B

Running updates of Tokyo 2020 women's Group B – follow the action of the Olympic handball tournament live and stay always up-to-date. In today's first match, Spain beat Brazil to claim another two points. ROC got their first win at Tokyo 2020 after defeating Hungary. Sweden versus France capped off today's action with a thrilling draw.


It's round 3 of Group B at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 women's handball tournament and we have three highly promising matches scheduled. 

Today's matches:

  • 11:00 JST: Spain vs Brazil (27:23)
  • 19:30 JST: Hungary vs ROC (31:38)
  • 21:30 JST: Sweden vs France (28:28)


23:45 JST That's all for today's games


What a day! Sweden stay at the top of Group B after a hair-raising battle versus France which ended in a 28:28 draw. Spain make it two victories in a row as they defeated Brazil — who were unbeaten until today — with a 27:23 score. The defending Olympic champions ROC join the discussion for the qualification tickets as they collect their first win at Tokyo 2020 and leave Hungary at the bottom of the group with zero points.

With the group table still far from set for the three quarter-finals tickets, you will not want to miss round 4 and round 5 of games! We'll see you then!


23:05 JST FINAL WHISTLE Sweden vs France 28:28


Jessica Ryde is Sweden's heroine! She saves a penalty at the final buzzer from France captain Grace Zaadi and the Scandinavian squad collect one point that might be crucial.

The 27-year-old keeper had only played a couple of minutes in the first two games, with Johanna Bundsen in charge of the Swedish goal. But this was not Bundsen's night, so Ryde jumped on court and completed an exceptional performance — she made nine saves at a 39% rate, including all three 7-metre throws France took.

She was ready when her team needed her the most. Majestic!


22:35 JST All square between Sweden and France


The Swedes look more composed in the start of the second half as both teams share the lead. The score is equal at 22:22 in the 44th minute.

Sweden captain Carin Stromberg is unstoppable tonight. The back's tally has reached seven — definitely a huge amount for one player in a rigid match like this.

There's a tenacious fight going on and we have a quarter of an hour left to delight ourselves watching it!


22:05 JST HALF-TIME Sweden vs France 16:17


Sweden cut a five-goal deficit to just one by the last minute of the first period and Linn Blohm equalises on a fast break only 10 seconds away from the half-time buzzer. Incredibly, Grace Zaadi had the last word as France restarted the game quickly and the captain put a powerful shot in the top right corner of the Swedish goal right before the bell rang!

Goalkeepers aren't having their brightest night, with Johanna Bundnsen holding a 21% save rate and Amandine Leynaud saving at only 12%.

Sweden captain Carin Stromberg is the highest scorer of the match with six goals. France right wing Pauline Coatanea is next with four successful shots.


21:50 JST France lead the Swedes by three


It's a tight game, like we all accepted. France managed to overcome Sweden's plan for the first quarter of the game by not letting them use their pivots as much as they would have liked.

The French side took the lead for the first time in the 13th minute and have created a three-goal edge into the 17th. Their shooting efficiency is at 86% (with 5/5 on 6-metre shots), while Sweden have scored 69% of their throws.


21:20 JST Sweden face France in an auspicious game to end the day


Sweden and France have met four times in the last five years: three times at the Women's EHF EURO and once at the 2017 IHF World Championship. The French side won three and the other one was a draw. But Sweden believe in their chances tonight after picking up two commanding victories versus Spain (31:24) and Rio 2016 gold medallists ROC (36:24).

France aim to defend the silver medal they won at the 2016 Olympics and for that they need to improve. In round 1 they defeated Hungary 30:29 but then lost to one of their classic opponents Spain 25:28.

There's a more than promising game coming. Day six at Tokyo 2020 couldn't have a better main event!


21:00 JST FINAL WHISTLE Hungary vs ROC 31:38


ROC collect their first triumph at Tokyo 2020 with a convincing showing in all facets of the game. It's no surprise that the best came from the centre, from the very core of the team's action; Playmakers Daria Dmitrieva and Ekaterina Ilina contributed seven and six goals respectively.

The defending Olympic champions leave the court with gestures of satisfaction. They leave behind a backpack full of stress after arriving to round 3 with only one point. Hungary have no room for error in the next two matches if they are to fight for a quarter-finals ticket.


20:40 JST ROC in control versus Hungary


Into the 47th minute, ROC are up 31:25 against Hungary — whose reaction still isn't coming.

It's always healthy for ROC to have Daria Dmitrieva in her greatest form. Today she's accurate, she's smart, she's spotless. She's the leader they expect. Seven goals and two assists from her. Hungary don't know how to stop her.


20:10 JST HALF-TIME Hungary vs ROC 17:22


What a solid performance in this first half for ROC! They are proving to themselves that the magic is there with a complete 30 minutes of play.

Four goals from Darya Dmitrieva and four from right wing Iuliia Managarova — no throws missed for them tonight.

ROC look focused and determined to claim their first victory at Tokyo 2020. Hungary have tried to fight back but so far most of their goals have come from 7-metre throws — six of them in total, all well executed by Katrin Klujber.


19:50 JST Outstanding efficiency for ROC to start on the right foot


The first quarter of the game has passed with ROC leading Hungary 10:6. The defending Olympic champions owe their four-goal margin to an impressive efficiency in attack.

Centre back Darya Dmitrieva leads the scoring with three goals in the same number of attempts. Another five ROC athletes also hold a 100% effectivity.

It's a neat beginning for the Rio 2016 gold medallists.


19:20 JST ROC take on Hungary with both teams targeting their first win


In March, the Rio 2016 gold medallists ROC beat Hungary 29:23 at the Olympic qualification tournament. The two sides reach round 3 in need of a victory to illuminate their path at Tokyo 2020.

The ROC campaign at these Olympic Games includes a draw against Brazil and a loss versus Sweden, while Hungary were defeated by the South American side and also by France.

Tonight's game could mark a turning point for the winner of this interesting clash between two powerful sides looking for their best shape.
 

13:30 JST Quotes after Spain's win


Nerea Pena, Spain centre back

On the match against Brazil: “I think the spirit – we put all our spirit inside. We were really focused on these two points. We knew it would be key points for what is coming and we are really happy. We are excited about this match. Now it’s still one [o’clock] in the morning [in Spain] and we have all day to celebrate!”

On what they discussed at half-time, after the level score: “We talked about that we did a great job in the first half and we were starting 0:0 again. We knew it would be 30 minutes where both team had the same chance to win. We knew that the start would be really important and we tried to push from the beginning. I think we had our ups and downs but we were really stable during all the match, or the second half especially. In the end I think we put everything we had inside and we have the two points.”

On Spain’s journey through Tokyo 2020 so far: “When you start a tournament like this one, the Olympics, that you have been waiting for so much and you lose the first match…I have to say that Sweden was better than us so that’s also inside the programme. We knew that it was really important against France to put the best of us, at least to try to put up our spirit and our key team. We have five matches – five really difficult matches – and we knew that some of them we would lose, some we would win. But of course to win two in a row is always positive for the spirit, for us, for our atmosphere and we will try to go against Hungary now to have the third one.”

On facing Hungary next – the country where she has been based from 2012 to 2020: “It’s always really special for me to play against them. For the good and the bad things, we know so much each other. I hope it will be a great match again. It will be a really tough match like it was today, but we know what means these two points – probably they mean that we are in the quarter-final. So we will go like today. We will put our all our heart inside, all our strength, and try to have these two points because they are the key for us.”
 

Pena


12:50 JST Amazing performance from Navarro


In the first two games, Spain’s goalkeepers have saved 18 shots for a 24% saving efficiency. This time around, against Brazil, Silva Navarro had 18 saves and 48% efficiency, basically doubling on the previous total. An amazing performance from one of the most experienced players at Tokyo 2020.

For Brazil, Bruna de Paula was once again amazing. The back who signed for Metz Handball at club level this summer has scored 15 goals in the Olympic women’s handball tournament, jumping to fourth place in the top scorer standings, after Netherlands’ Lois Abbingh (19 goals), Angola’s Isabel Guialo (17 goals) and Jovanka Radicevic (16 goals). The Montenegrin right wing has played just two games so far.

We’ll take a break from Group B and we are moving back to Group A, where the Asian derby between Japan and the Republic of Korea is set to start at 14:15 JST. Group B will continue with the game pitting Hungary against the ROC team at 19:30 JST. 
 

12:27 JST FINAL WHISTLE Spain vs Brazil 27:23


Brazil do not make it count. Instead, they rack up the missed shots, as 42-year-old goalkeeper Silvia Navarro, at her third edition of the Olympic Games, is Spain’s best player this game, saving 18 shots for an outstanding 46% saving efficiency. And Spain run away with the win in this game, 27:23, after a strong finish from Pena, who ended the game on seven goals!

The level at Tokyo 2020 really is high in many games and this was one of them. Sure, both sides have had strong moments, in which they managed to shut down their opponents, but both Spain and Brazil need to improve and shake off the runs where they cannot find an open shot or stop their opponents. These are key to their success in the competition.

Basically, Spain had won because they converted their clear-cut chances and because they had a superb goalkeeper between the posts. They also handed Brazil their first loss at Tokyo 2020, with the South American side having to face France next – and Sweden, one of the top teams in the group. Will advancing to the quarter-finals be a problem for Duenas’ side? It could be, but seeing Brazil in these games, they will surely be up to the challenge.

Meanwhile, Spain pass Brazil in the ranking and are now in second place, tying Sweden at four points, with the Scandinavian side yet to play this round. In the next round, the Spanish side will face Hungary. Brazil are third with three points, facing Sweden on Saturday.
 

12:14 JST Spain falter as Brazil hope to save the game


Remember Brazil’s game against the ROC team? The South American side were down by three goals at the start of the second half and really looked out of sorts. This time around, Spain led by as many as four goals, but Brazil slowly crawled their way back into the game, with some astonishing shots from Ana Paula Rodrigues Belo and Bruna de Paula. Really, those goals should have never been scored, but the two Brazilian backs found a way to put the ball into the net.

Therefore, here we are. With 10 minutes to go, Spain lose defender Elisabet Cesareo for a strong foul against Bruna de Paula. And now Brazil have two minutes with a player more on the court, being down one goal, 20:21. Can they turn the tide once again? Spain really have faltered.
 

12:01 JST Spain’s grip on the game gets stronger


Between the 20th and the 40th minute, Brazil have scored only six goals and Spain’s resurgence, who came back from being down 6:10 to leading 18:14 has been superb. The Spanish side had a hint of hit and miss for this tournament, being downed by Sweden, but bouncing back admirably against France. This means that they cannot really be written off, no matter the situation they are in.

They mixed their attacks well, with nine different players scoring at least one goal, but when Nerea Pena is on form, she is really hard to stop. Pena has scored five goals from five shots, dished two assists and really got into the groove since the 20th minute, after which she scored four times.

Brazil have been in this situation before, being forced to mount a comeback against the ROC team, and are relying heavily once again on Bruna de Paula. The dazzling back has it all and has already scored six goals in this game, taking her tally at Tokyo 2020 to 15 goals. Spain are leading 20:16 in the 39th minute and their grip on the game is quite strong.
 

11:35 JST HALF-TIME Spain vs Brazil 13:13


Spain are by no means push-overs at this game and their ability to shift in defence, from the traditional 6-0 to a more aggressive 5-1 to block the Brazilian backs – especially Bruna de Paula and Ana Rodrigues Belo – has been the foundation of their resurgence. With a 4:1 run, established by Nerea Pena, who scored twice, and Marta Lopez, who scored once and registered a steal, Spain were able to tie the game at 10:10, after Brazil scored only two goals in a period of almost nine minutes.

With one-on-one chances missed by Tamires de Araujo, Belo and de Paula, with Duda Amorim scoring only once from four chances, Brazil totally collapsed in attack, while Spanish goalkeeper Silvia Navarro saved eight shots for a 40% efficiency. “Be faster on the fast breaks, we can really do some damage there,” said Spain’s coach, Carlos Viver, during a time-out late in the first half. This might be something to watch for in the second half.

Right now, at the break, the two teams are tied at 13:13 after a crazy last seconds of the game. Soledad Lopez took Spain in front, 13:12, with seven seconds left in the half, but Larissa Araujo had a superb breakthrough and a powerful shot to tie the game with three seconds left, 13:13. It’s anybody’s game!
 

11:23 JST Brazil frustrate Spain with defensive masterclass


Brazil have thrown a curveball, by replacing veteran goalkeeper Barbara Arenhart with Renata de Arruda in this game, but the move has paid dividends, as de Arruda boasts a 43% saving efficiency in the first 20 minutes. Brazil are seriously frustrating Spain with a superb defensive act, as Spain turned the ball over five times and also missed some clear cut chances, two of their goals coming from Carmen Martin on fast breaks. Those goals have been followed by a flurry of misses and easy chances squandered.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Brazil, who are slowly becoming one of the teams to watch in the competition, are leading the game comfortably, taking advantage of a stint of six minutes and 33 seconds in which Spain failed to score. It is 9:6 for Brazil, but in this type of games, every attack is important. The game could be turned quite fast.
 

11:12 JST Duenas puts Spanish knowledge to use


We said earlier that Brazil’s coach, Jorge Duenas, knows the Spanish team inside out and he put that knowledge to the best of use to limit the opponents to only two goals scored in the first 10 minutes of the game. Brazil have that old-school feeling around them, with superb defensive performances both in these first 10 minutes, but also in the game they drew against the ROC (24:24) in the first round.

Spain are also a very good team defensively, but they conceded four goals up until this point, with backs Patricia Matieli and Bruna de Paula leading the pack for Brazil. This promises to be a very exciting game and whoever wins the battle on defence will also win the game. Up until this point, in the 11th minute, Brazil are leading 6:3, as de Paula scored three goals already.
 

11:00 JST A special game for Jorge Duenas


Spain and Brazil have also met in the men’s tournament yesterday, with the European side taking a 32:25 win, that helped them seal a quarter-finals berth. 'Las Guerreras' will not proceed to the next phase just yet with a win today, but beating Brazil would help them be in the pole-position for one of the top two places, after conceding a loss against Sweden and winning against France.

The two sides met three times in competitive games and Spain won all three, including a 29:26 win five years ago at Rio 2016, when Brazil were the hosts. Will history repeat itself? Hard to say now, because the South American side have been brilliant both against the ROC team, who they held to a 24:24 draw, while taking a clear 33:27 win against Hungary two days ago.

Bear in mind that Brazil’s coach, Jorge Duenas, is also Spanish, knows the team inside out, having won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games at London 2012. He has been preparing for this game a long time, taking over Brazil in 2017.


10:45 JST A wide open Group B enters round 3


Group B is already more complicated than the other at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as surprises have seen favourites drop important points against the underdogs in the group.

Sweden are the only side with two wins in the first two games, but a win against France could not be enough to secure them safe passage to the knock-out phase. The French side, silver medallists at Rio 2016, are eager to bounce back after a painful loss against Spain in the last round and are expected to give the Scandinavian side a run for their money in the last game of the day.

With only one point in two games, the ROC face a must-win situation against Hungary, the only side in the group who lost both their games. The game will be pivotal for both teams, as they are playing for survival here.

One of the four teams still unbeaten at this stage of the competition, Brazil have been the surprise package at Tokyo 2020, drawing against the ROC team and winning big, 33:27, against Hungary. A win will not be enough to mathematically put them through, but only a complicated can see Brazil dropped from contention at this stage.

You can find out more about Group B by clicking here

All the latest info regarding statistics and standings can be found on our page dedicated to the women’s tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.