Fantastic atmosphere and painful Hungarian defeat
It was decided in front of a packed arena that the co-host of the EURO did not make it through to the main round of the tournament.
Everyone knew in the Budapest handball arena that whatever would the outcome of the match be there should not have any complaint about the Hungarian fans. Just like in the first two matches of Hungary, the Budapest handball arena was packed for the start of the game.
Everyone knew in the Budapest handball arena that whatever would the outcome of the match be there should not have any complaint about the Hungarian fans. Just like in the first two matches of Hungary, the Budapest handball arena was packed for the start of the game.
Both teams started the game restlessly, feeling the stakes of the clash in the first few minutes. Neither Hungary, nor Iceland were able to build a bigger lead, it was 7-7 after 10 minutes play. It was in the 16th minute when on of the team could lead by two, but with the leadership of Bence Bánhidi, Hungary were able to come back. The final plays of the half brought some misses and mistakes again but with seconds left before the break, both Aron Pálmarsson és Richárd Bodó could score and the result was 17-17.
During the break the entertainer hosts did everything to fire up the supporters in the arena. The atmosphere was frenetic. At the beginning of the second period Márton Székely could deny two Icelandic shots but Hungary were not able to live up with their opportunity and they could not build up a comfortable lead. With 10 minutes remaining, 27-27 was on the scoreboard. When Hungary took the lead, Iceland always had an answer, mostly by Bjarki Mar Elisson who scored 9 times and became the most effective player of the match. For the last 4 minutes Hungary had man-advantage but they were not able to equalize after trailing by two. The final result is 31-30, Iceland wins the group with 100% performance and advances to the main round.
The EHF EURO 2022 is far from the end, as on January 20, another fantastic handball players will play in the Budapest handball arena. Denmark and Montenegro, which advanced from group A and France and Croatia from group C will also arrive. If you would like to be part of this wonderful EURO buy your tickets today.
Zoltán Szita (HUN) - Left Back
’It is hard to say anything, we had too many mistakes, especially in crucial situations, this way no one can win a match. We knew Iceland will be a tough opponent, they have good quality players and we did not even have any luck today. I have to say a massive thank you to our fans, the atmosphere and their support was amazing, we hope to compensate for them in the future.’
Omar Magnusson (ISL) - Right back
‘I have played only once in an atmosphere like this, 2017 in France, there were 28,000 fans, but it was really great tonight to be here. We could barely talk to each other, but we have a lot of toughness in the team. Before the match we talked about to be mentally strong at all times and we were ice-cold until the last minute.’
’It is hard to say anything, we had too many mistakes, especially in crucial situations, this way no one can win a match. We knew Iceland will be a tough opponent, they have good quality players and we did not even have any luck today. I have to say a massive thank you to our fans, the atmosphere and their support was amazing, we hope to compensate for them in the future.’
Omar Magnusson (ISL) - Right back
‘I have played only once in an atmosphere like this, 2017 in France, there were 28,000 fans, but it was really great tonight to be here. We could barely talk to each other, but we have a lot of toughness in the team. Before the match we talked about to be mentally strong at all times and we were ice-cold until the last minute.’
