The women’s handball team returned from a very far away place in record time. From the major setback on Friday against the Faroe Islands to the major resurrection on Sunday against Montenegro. The victory had it all: the nature of the reaction to the disaster that had occurred two days earlier and a match that had not been shown throughout the World Cup. It was Spain’s best game last year at a time when the rope was tight. Effective in attack, where coach Ambros Martin has achieved a lot, and applied in defense without the scary holes.
Finally, some masked warriors in the long process of reconstruction. Finally, they finished first in the group and move into the second stage starting on Tuesday with two points, leaving their quarter-final options intact. Happy Sunday. Next season, the team will meet Germany (passes with four points), Serbia (two points) and Iceland (zero). In the same group there will also be Montenegro and the Faroe Islands (both with two). The top two go to the quarterfinals.
“They were true warriors,” Ambros Martin emphasized. He thanked the coach, “The defense took a step forward. We kept us in the game in difficult moments and the team was brave at all times with completely clear ideas, despite the difficulty of the moment. We were not nervous.”
After the harsh defeat to the Faroe Islands, many voices emerged from the dressing room demanding that the Pride achieve urgent improvement and that this bloody defeat be a turning point. And there it was, there really was. In light of the fear of the team collapsing in front of an opponent who, as Ambros Martin warned, plays “very dirty”, Spain presented itself on the field as a complete team, determined, well drilled at the back and with solutions in attack.
Except for a start in which almost all of the offensive maneuvers relied on Daniela Sue Delgado (he hit the first two shots and missed the next five) and Montenegro’s solidity was noticeable, the team was finding ways. The diminutive body of Madi Bengoetxea forced seven meters through the break, Esther Somaza (no minutes on Friday) entered the field like a hurricane and, for a change, Spain punished the seven against six of Montenegro with two goals into an empty net. It was all good news: 7-13 they took control in the 23rd minute, and after a Balkan response, they went to the break with the best emotions and best performance of the tournament (11-15). He even survived the Seven vs. Six who had tortured him so much on Friday.
But after so much good news, the most complicated thing remained for this stormy group: not falling into one of the usual sewers. And this time there wasn’t even one. Spain continued steady. So Delgado sharpened her arm again, wingers Jennifer Gutierrez and Anne Eroskin were doing their best, and captain Alicia Fernandez was a seven-metre hammer. The Galician, one of the most overlooked players on Friday, ended the afternoon by being named Player of the Match. The best example of how much a movie can change.
The Spanish dominance did not diminish and the distance extended to nine goals with ten minutes remaining (17-26). The seven-versus-six match from the Balkans, very inaccurate, didn’t hurt. Losses, another usual evil for a team, were a burden on the opposition. It was a peaceful and invigorating result for the team that, after a Friday of pain, set the counter back to zero and filled its lungs with optimism. He got another chance. “We can say that this has only just begun,” Ambros Martin concluded.
Montenegro 26 – Spain 31
Montenegro: Attingri; Anastasia Marcinic (-), Dzaferović (-), Brnovic (7), Jajoković (2, 1), Godic (1), Bavicevic (4) – starting lineup: Šković (PS), Pletikosek (3), Trević (7, 4 pts), Marija Marcinic (-), Bozović (-), Bulatović (1), Tatar (-) and Grbić (1).
Spain:paradis; Etxperia (-), Bengoetxea (2), Alicia Fernandez (8, 6 points), Sue Delgado (5), Ubedal (1) and Jasama (1) – preliminary team – Morales (note), Jennifer Gutierrez (4), Somaz (4), Arcos (2), Lisa Chaptchet (-), Aerosquin (2), Elba Alvarez (-), Lindy Chaptchet (2) and Arroyo (-).
Referees: Kasmi and Kasmi (France). They ruled out Vucevic, Arcos and Bengoetxea for two minutes.
Score every five minutes: 1-2, 2-3, 3-7, 6-10, 9-13, 11-15 (half-time). 14-16, 15-21, 15-23, 18-26, 22-28 and 26-31 (final)