2006 European Men's Handball Championship
Encyclopedia
The 2006 EHF European Men's Handball Championship
(7th tournament) was held in Switzerland
from 26 January–5 February, in the cities of Basel
, Berne
, Lucerne
, St. Gallen
and Zürich
. France
won the tournament, going through unbeaten after an early defeat to Spain
(where they trailed by eight goals at half-time). France and Spain met again in the final, but this time France prevailed by eight goals. France's defence conceded the least goals per game in the entire tournament, with 192 conceded goals in eight matches. The hosts Switzerland
were knocked out at the first group stage, while Denmark
finished third and Croatia
fourth to qualify directly for the 2007 World Championship
, along with France.
, St. Gallen
(capacity: 4,500). Poland qualified first, winning the first match and then drawing the second against Switzerland despite an equaliser with 15 seconds to go from Pascal Jenny
, and two hours later they were joined by Slovenia, who came back from a two-goal deficit in the last ten minutes to beat Ukraine by 33–31. Switzerland and Ukraine thus played off for the last place in the main round, and the Swiss got behind from the start, trailing by 21–14 at half time. Ten minutes into the second half, Ukraine were 28–16 up, before allowing Switzerland somewhat back into it near the end. They still won 37–30, however, qualifying for the second round with zero points. Slovenia beat Poland 33–29 to carry forward four points, while Poland got two.
, Basel
(capacity 8,500). Germany became the first team to qualify, drawing their first match with Spain before overcoming Slovakia (who ended up by conceding 100 goals, the most in the group stage) in their second game. Spain followed soon after, beating France by 29–26 after a 17–9 lead at half time, but the French were also through as they would be ahead of Slovakia on head-to-head if the two were to end on two points each. Thus, their last match with Germany only determined how many points they would carry forward to the main round; France risked going through with nil, but after prevailing 27–25 they finished the group in second place and took two points.
in Sursee
/Lucerne
. Denmark and Iceland opened with wins, and with a draw in the second round both teams qualified for the main round. Serbia and Montenegro joined them due to the head-to-head encounter rule; despite finishing level on points with Hungary after losing to Denmark in the last match, Serbia and Montenegro had beaten Hungary and thus finished ahead. Iceland lost their last match, but nevertheless carried through three points to the main round, as did Denmark.
, Berne
. Russia became the first team to qualify for the main round when they beat Portugal on 27 January. Croatia joined them later that day with a 32–28 win over Norway, and Norway and Portugal played off for the last main round spot on Sunday 29 January. Norway won that match by ten goals, thus proceeding to the main round with zero points; Russia got a full score with four points, despite nearly throwing away a five-goal lead in the last five minutes against Croatia.
Germany continued on the winning path the following day, taking a four-goal lead at half-time against Slovenia in a rerun of the 2004 final, before Slovenia pegged them back to 27–27 midway through the second half. The following nine minutes gave the Germans a five-goal advantage, with keeper Henning Fritz
conceding one goal in those nine minutes, and with five minutes to spare Slovenia could only come back to a three-goal deficit. Nevertheless, Germany were still third in the group, as France beat Poland by ten goals and Spain were eventually pegged back to 31–29 by Ukraine after conceding five goals without reply in the last seven minutes. However, Ukraine missed a penalty shot from Konstantyyn Tkhorevskyy and Spain prevailed.
The final round of matches opened with Germany beating Poland by eight goals, winning the first half by 16–7 and controlling from there, as their keeper Johannes Bitter
saved 21 shots. By contrast, the two Polish keepers had an aggregate of six saves. However, Germany needed either France or Spain to lose their matches, and France would not oblige; they beat Ukraine by 30–20 to qualify for the semi-finals. Spain needed a draw against Slovenia to qualify, and the teams were within two goals of each other for most of the first half. The Spanish goalkeeper made four saves in the final five minutes of the first half, allowing Spain to get a 19–16 lead, and Slovenia never came closer than two goals after that. Spain thus qualified for the semi-finals in first place, ahead of France, while Germany played off for fifth place and a spot at the 2008 European Championship.
Iceland took an early lead in this group after beating Russia 34–32 in the first match, which sent Russia down from first to third place. Croatia went second in the group after beating Denmark, left winger Goran Šprem
settling the match when he scored two seconds before the end, while Norway were the only team without a point in this group after losing their match with Serbia and Montenegro. With 25 seconds remaining, Kristian Kjelling
scored a penalty to equalise, but Milorad Krivokapić scored his only goal of the match just as the buzzer sounded to give Serbia and Montenegro the victory.
Russia quickly recovered from the loss against Iceland, with their keeper Alexei Kostygov saving 14 of 34 shots as Serbia/Montenegro were beaten 29–21, and went top of the table ahead of Croatia - who beat Iceland by one goal, though Iceland's last two goals came in the very last minute. In the last match on 1 February, Denmark kept their semi-final hopes alive with a 35–31 win over Norway, to stay within one point of the leaders.
The following day saw Croatia become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals when they beat Serbia and Montenegro by 34–30; the teams followed each other till 20–20 ten minutes into the second half, when wingers Goran Šprem
and Mirza Džomba
scored five of six successive Croatian goals. Goalkeeper Vlado Šola
saved 19 of 43 shots from Serbian players. Iceland needed a win against Norway, who had failed to win a match thus far in the tournament, and led 16–14 at half time after Norway threw away the ball on their last attack of the half and Iceland countered in a last goal. Norway came back, equalising eight minutes into the second half, and with ten minutes to go they took a three-goal lead which they never relinquished, eventually winning 36–33 to knock Iceland out of the championship. Norwegian back player Kjetil Strand
scored 19 goals in the match, eight more than any other player had done in a match thus far in the tournament, and more than half of Norway's goals.
The final match between Russia and Denmark was now a virtual quarter-final. Russia gained a 6–3 lead after ten minutes, but were pegged back, and by the end of the half it was 13–13. In the second half, Russia suffered three two-minute suspensions within a minute, and during the three-minute period of Danish numerical superiority they went from 19–17 to 22–17. The lead never shrunk below five goals again, Denmark eventually scoring 22 goals in the second half to win 35–28 and qualify for the semi-finals in second place.
in Zürich
(capacity 11,500). The first match was the fifth-place play-off, determining the final direct qualifying spot for the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship
; the other semi-finalists had already qualified directly. Russia took a two-goal lead through Oleg Frolov when he gave them 6–4 in the ninth minute, and Germany failed to catch up before half-time, though they won the last eight minutes 5–3. Russia went into the break with an 18–16 lead, but failed to score for eight minutes midway through the second half, while Christian Zeitz
scored four successive goals for Germany to take them into a three-goal lead, which they kept for the remainder of the match despite Eduard Kokcharov
scoring two penalties with five minutes to go. Zeitz ended up with 12 goals, eight of which came in the second half.
In the first of the two semi-finals, France faced Croatia, and after Croatia won the first 20 minutes by 10–8 the French goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer shut the goal. Nine saves were recorded before half-time, as France went into a 12–10 lead, and a further two in the first five minutes of the second half allowed France to build a four-goal lead. They never gave it away again, as Michael Guigou
netted six times in the second half to ensure a 29–23 victory.
Spain became the second team from preliminary group B to qualify for the final, coming back from a 15–16 deficit at half time when Iker Romero
scored four successive goals for Spain to bring them from 20–19 to 24–20. Denmark came within one goal, when Lars Rasmussen netted on a fast break, but three Spanish goals and two saves followed, and the Danes never came back in the match.
Denmark won the third place play-off, however, coming back from 2–5 down to lead 16–9 at half time against Croatia and eventually winning by five goals, before France went into the final against the defending World Champions Spain. France had lost the group stage match by three goals, and Spain took a 4–1 lead after five minutes, before a four-minute rally from France brought them back in the lead. Spain were catching up for the most part of the first half, equalising four times but not taking the lead until Iker Romero
scored a penalty shot in the 21st minute. France then won the last nine minutes of the half by 6–1, and went into the break with a four-goal lead.
Coming out of the break, Spain came within two goals, trailing by 20–22 when ten minutes had passed. However, they then went nearly fifteen minutes without a goal, which included a period of playing with six men against four. When Rolando Urios finally scored, France still led by 28–21 with six minutes to go, and France eventually won the match by 31–23 to win their first European Championship.
European Men's Handball Championship
The European men's handball championship is the official competition for senior men's national handball teams of Europe, and takes place every two years. In addition to crowning the European champions, the tournament also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Championship...
(7th tournament) was held in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from 26 January–5 February, in the cities of Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
and Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. France
France national handball team
France national handball team is the handball team, supervised by the French Handball Federation, that represents France in the international matches....
won the tournament, going through unbeaten after an early defeat to Spain
Spain national handball team
The Spain national handball team is the national handball team of Spain and is controlled by the Spain Handball Federation.-2008 Olympic squad:*1 José Javier Hombrados – BM Ciudad Real*2 Alberto Entrerríos – BM Ciudad Real...
(where they trailed by eight goals at half-time). France and Spain met again in the final, but this time France prevailed by eight goals. France's defence conceded the least goals per game in the entire tournament, with 192 conceded goals in eight matches. The hosts Switzerland
Switzerland national handball team
The Switzerland national handball team is the national handball team of Switzerland....
were knocked out at the first group stage, while Denmark
Denmark national handball team
The Denmark national handball team is the national handball team of Denmark. Controlled by the Danish Handball Association it represents Denmark in international matches....
finished third and Croatia
Croatia national handball team
The Croatian national handball team is a handball team that represents Croatia in the international matches and has been playing since the country's independence in the early 1990s...
fourth to qualify directly for the 2007 World Championship
2007 World Men's Handball Championship
The 20th World Men's Handball Championship took place from January 19 to February 4, 2007 in Germany. 24 national teams played in 12 German cities.The tournament was won by Germany.-Stadiums:...
, along with France.
Group A
This group was played in the KreuzbleichhalleKreuzbleichhalle
Kreuzbleichhalle is an indoor sporting arena located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The capacity of the arena is 4,000 people. It hosted some matches at the 2006 European Men's Handball Championship and is the home arena of the TSV St. Otmar team handball club.-External links:*...
, St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
(capacity: 4,500). Poland qualified first, winning the first match and then drawing the second against Switzerland despite an equaliser with 15 seconds to go from Pascal Jenny
Pascal Jenny
Pascal Jenny is a Swiss football defender.-Career:He currently plays for SC Düdingen in the First Division. Jenny previously played in the Swiss Super League for Servette FC, FC Winterthur, Yverdon-Sport and FC St. Gallen.-References:...
, and two hours later they were joined by Slovenia, who came back from a two-goal deficit in the last ten minutes to beat Ukraine by 33–31. Switzerland and Ukraine thus played off for the last place in the main round, and the Swiss got behind from the start, trailing by 21–14 at half time. Ten minutes into the second half, Ukraine were 28–16 up, before allowing Switzerland somewhat back into it near the end. They still won 37–30, however, qualifying for the second round with zero points. Slovenia beat Poland 33–29 to carry forward four points, while Poland got two.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Slovenia SloveniaSlovenia national handball team The Slovenia national handball team represents Slovenia in international handball matches. The current coach is Zvonimir Serdarušić.- World Men's Handball Championship record :- European Men's Handball Championship record :... |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 85 | |
 Poland PolandPoland national handball team The Poland men's national handball team is the national handball team of Poland, controlled by the Polish Handball Association , that represents Poland in the international matches.- Olympic games :... |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 88 | |
 Ukraine UkraineUkraine national handball team The Ukraine national handball team is the national handball team of Ukraine.-World Men's Handball Championship record:... |
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 86 | –4 |
 Switzerland SwitzerlandSwitzerland national handball team The Switzerland national handball team is the national handball team of Switzerland.... |
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 86 | 97 | –11 |
| January 26, 2006 | |||
| Poland Poland Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki is a Polish handball player, currently under contract at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He also is a star of Poland national handball team. Bielecki won team silver medal in the World Handball Championship in 2007 and bronze in 2009. He is known for his powerful throws... 8 Patryk Kuchczynski Patryk Kuchczynski Patryk Kuchczyński is a Polish team handball player, currently playing for Vive Targi Kielce and on the Poland national handball team.... 5 |
33–24 | Ukraine Ukraine Mykola Stetsyura 7 Sergiy Shel'menko 7 |
17:30 |
| Slovenia Slovenia Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka, also Sergej Rutenka, is a Belarusian handball player. Besides Belarusian citizenship in 2003 he acquired also Slovenian citizenship. In January, 2008, he received the Spanish nationality, renouncing the Slovenian nationality... 7 (2 pen) Zoran Jovičič Zoran Jovičić Zoran Jovičić is a retired Serbian international football player.-References:* *... 5 (3 pen) Renato Vugrinec 5 |
29–25 | Switzerland Switzerland Thomas Gautschi 7 Manuel Liniger 6 |
20:15 |
| January 28, 2006 | |||
| Switzerland Switzerland Martin Engeler 9 (3 pen) Thomas Gautschi 6 Pascal Jenny Pascal Jenny Pascal Jenny is a Swiss football defender.-Career:He currently plays for SC Düdingen in the First Division. Jenny previously played in the Swiss Super League for Servette FC, FC Winterthur, Yverdon-Sport and FC St. Gallen.-References:... 6 Andre Schmid 5 (1 pen) |
31-31 | Poland Poland Piotr Obrusiewicz 6 (5 pen) Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki is a Polish handball player, currently under contract at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He also is a star of Poland national handball team. Bielecki won team silver medal in the World Handball Championship in 2007 and bronze in 2009. He is known for his powerful throws... 5 (1 pen) Bartosz Jurecki Bartosz Jurecki Bartosz Jurecki is a Polish handball player and a member of the Polish Handball Team in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.... 5 Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski is a Polish team handball player, playing on the Poland national handball team. He received a silver medal with the Polish team at the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship and a bronze medal at the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship in Croatia... 5 Grzegorz Tkaczyk Grzegorz Tkaczyk Grzegorz Tkaczyk is a Polish handball player - member of Poland national handball team, participant of 2007 World Men's Handball Championship. Tkaczyk is currently playing for Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He joined this team in 2002 from Warszawianka.For his sport achievements, he received: Golden Cross... 5 |
16:15 |
| Ukraine Ukraine Ruslan Prudius 7 Sergiy Shel'menko 6 Yuriy Kostetskiy 5 (2 pen) Vitaliy Nat 5 Yuriy Petrenko 5 |
31-33 | Slovenia Slovenia Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka, also Sergej Rutenka, is a Belarusian handball player. Besides Belarusian citizenship in 2003 he acquired also Slovenian citizenship. In January, 2008, he received the Spanish nationality, renouncing the Slovenian nationality... 9 (2 pen) Uroš Zorman 6 Vid Kavtičnik 5 Jure Natek 5 |
18:30 |
| January 29, 2006 | |||
| Slovenia Slovenia Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka, also Sergej Rutenka, is a Belarusian handball player. Besides Belarusian citizenship in 2003 he acquired also Slovenian citizenship. In January, 2008, he received the Spanish nationality, renouncing the Slovenian nationality... 10 (3 pen) Zoran Jovičič Zoran Jovičić Zoran Jovičić is a retired Serbian international football player.-References:* *... 5 (5 pen) Vid Kavtičnik 5 Jure Natek 5 |
33-29 | Poland Poland Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki is a Polish handball player, currently under contract at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He also is a star of Poland national handball team. Bielecki won team silver medal in the World Handball Championship in 2007 and bronze in 2009. He is known for his powerful throws... 9 (3 pen) |
14:00 |
| Switzerland Switzerland Marco Kurth Marco Kurth Marco Kurth is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Energie Cottbus.-External links:* *... 6 Martin Engeler 6 (5 pen) |
30–37 | Ukraine Ukraine Igor Andryushchenko 7 Sergiy Shel'menko 7 Mykola Stetsyura 7 Yuriy Kostetskiy 6 (3 pen) |
16:15 |
Group B
The matches in this group were played in St. JakobshalleSt. Jakobshalle
St. Jakobshalle is an arena in Münchenstein, near Basel, Switzerland. It is primarily used for indoor sports and concert events. The St. Jakobshalle holds 9,000 people and was built in 1976...
, Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
(capacity 8,500). Germany became the first team to qualify, drawing their first match with Spain before overcoming Slovakia (who ended up by conceding 100 goals, the most in the group stage) in their second game. Spain followed soon after, beating France by 29–26 after a 17–9 lead at half time, but the French were also through as they would be ahead of Slovakia on head-to-head if the two were to end on two points each. Thus, their last match with Germany only determined how many points they would carry forward to the main round; France risked going through with nil, but after prevailing 27–25 they finished the group in second place and took two points.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain SpainSpain national handball team The Spain national handball team is the national handball team of Spain and is controlled by the Spain Handball Federation.-2008 Olympic squad:*1 José Javier Hombrados – BM Ciudad Real*2 Alberto Entrerríos – BM Ciudad Real... |
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 94 | 82 | |
 France FranceFrance national handball team France national handball team is the handball team, supervised by the French Handball Federation, that represents France in the international matches.... |
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 75 | |
 Germany GermanyGermany national handball team The Germany national handball team is the national handball team of Germany. Germany won the handball world cup in 1938, 1978 and in 2007 as the host of the handball world cup-Achievements:Olympic Games* winner in 1936... |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 87 | 84 | |
 Slovakia SlovakiaSlovakia national handball team The Slovakia national handball team is the national handball team of Slovakia. It takes part in international team handball competitions.- Results :World Men's Handball Championship*2009: 10th*2011: 17thEuropean Men's Handball Championship... |
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 100 | –28 |
| January 26, 2006 | |||
| Germany Germany Pascal Hens Pascal Hens Pascal "Pommes" Hens is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team... 9 Christian Zeitz Christian Zeitz Christian Zeitz is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team. He is World Champion from 2007, and European champion from 2004.-References:... 6 Andrej Klimovets Andrej Klimovets Andrej Klimovets is a former Belarusian and from 2005 German team handball player. He is World champion from 2007 with the German national team. He participated on the German team that finished 4th at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship.... 5 |
31–31 | Spain Spain Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Comas is a Spanish handball player. He currently plays for Barcelona.He participated at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the Spain national handball team. The team won a bronze medal, defeating Croatia. He was included as "Best right wing" in that tournament's All... 6 (2 pen) Iker Romero Iker Romero Iker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona.... 6 (3 pen) Rolando Uríos 6 |
15:45 |
| France France Joel Abati Joël Abati Joël Marc Abati is a French handball player, currently playing for Montpellier HB in France.Before joining Montpellier HB, Abati played ten years for SC Magdeburg in Germany.- History:... 6 (2 pen) Bertrand Gille 5 |
35–21 | Slovakia Slovakia |
18:00 |
| January 28, 2006 | |||
| Slovakia Slovakia Radoslav Antl Radoslav Antl Radoslav Antl is an Slovak handballplayer, currently playing for HT Tatran Prešov in the Slovak Extraliga.He also plays for the Slovak national handball team.-External links:* *... 6 (1 pen) Rastislav Tabačko 5 |
26–31 | Germany Germany Andrej Klimovets Andrej Klimovets Andrej Klimovets is a former Belarusian and from 2005 German team handball player. He is World champion from 2007 with the German national team. He participated on the German team that finished 4th at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship.... 7 Michael Kraus 5 |
14:00 |
| Spain Spain Iker Romero Iker Romero Iker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona.... 10 (2 pen) Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Comas is a Spanish handball player. He currently plays for Barcelona.He participated at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the Spain national handball team. The team won a bronze medal, defeating Croatia. He was included as "Best right wing" in that tournament's All... 7 (4 pen) Alberto Entrerríos Alberto Entrerríos Alberto Entrerrios is a Spanish European Handballer for BM Ciudad Real. He is 192 cm tall and weighs 100 kg... 5 |
29–26 | France France Nikola Karabatic Nikola Karabatic Nikola Karabatić ) is a French team handball player, born to a Croatian father and Serbian mother.He was part of the French national handball team that won the bronze medal at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. He was top scorer at the championship together with Ivano Balić and Lars... 10 Jerome Fernandez Jérôme Fernandez Jérôme Fernandez is a French handball player, currently playing for THW Kiel in Germany.-History:* 1997-1999 : Spacer's Toulouse* 1999-2002 : Montpellier HB* 2002-2008 : FC Barcelona Handbol... 7 |
16:15 |
| January 29, 2006 | |||
| Germany Germany Andrej Klimovets Andrej Klimovets Andrej Klimovets is a former Belarusian and from 2005 German team handball player. He is World champion from 2007 with the German national team. He participated on the German team that finished 4th at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship.... 6 |
25–27 | France France Michaël Guigou Michaël Guigou Michaël Guigou is a French handball player, having played since the start of his career for Montpellier HB.... 6 (4 pen) Daniel Narcisse Daniel Narcisse Daniel Narcisse is a French handball player. His main strength as a field player is his ability to jump very high, to the point of being able to score goals above interfering defense players... 5 Jerome Fernandez Jérôme Fernandez Jérôme Fernandez is a French handball player, currently playing for THW Kiel in Germany.-History:* 1997-1999 : Spacer's Toulouse* 1999-2002 : Montpellier HB* 2002-2008 : FC Barcelona Handbol... 5 (1 pen) |
15:15 |
| Spain Spain Rubén Garabaya Rubén Garabaya Rubén Garabaya is a Spanish handball player.He participated at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the Spain national handball team. The team won a bronze medal, defeating Croatia.-References:*... 8 |
34–25 | Slovakia Slovakia Martin Straňovský 8 Ján Kolesár 6 |
17:30 |
Group C
The matches in this group were held in the Sursee StadthalleSursee Stadthalle
Sursee Stadthalle is an indoor sporting arena located in Sursee, Switzerland. The capacity of the arena is 3,500 people. It hosted some matches at the 2006 European Men's Handball Championship.-External links:*http://www.stadthalle-sursee.ch...
in Sursee
Sursee
Sursee is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Sursee is located at the northern end of Lake Sempach, not far from where the Sure river enters the lake , hence the name "Sursee"....
/Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
. Denmark and Iceland opened with wins, and with a draw in the second round both teams qualified for the main round. Serbia and Montenegro joined them due to the head-to-head encounter rule; despite finishing level on points with Hungary after losing to Denmark in the last match, Serbia and Montenegro had beaten Hungary and thus finished ahead. Iceland lost their last match, but nevertheless carried through three points to the main round, as did Denmark.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Denmark DenmarkDenmark national handball team The Denmark national handball team is the national handball team of Denmark. Controlled by the Danish Handball Association it represents Denmark in international matches.... |
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 82 | |
 Iceland IcelandIceland national handball team The Iceland national handball team is the national handball team of Iceland and is controlled by the Icelandic Handball Association.- World Championships :- European Championships :- Olympic games :- Current squad :... |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 95 | 94 | |
 Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro |
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 93 | –4 |
 Hungary HungaryHungary national handball team The Hungary national handball team is the national handball team that represents Hungary in the international matches. It is administered by the Hungarian Handball Federation.-Olympic Games record:* 1936 - 4th* 1972 - 8th* 1976 - 6th* 1980 - 4th... |
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 84 | 89 | –5 |
| January 26, 2006 | |||
| Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro Milorad Krivokapić 7 Žikica Milosavljević 5 (3 pen) Ratko Nikolić Ratko Nikolic Ratko Nikolić is a Serbian handballer. He plays as pivot for Portland San Antonio and is a former captain of the Serbia national handball team.-References:... 5 Vladimir Petrić 5 |
31–36 | Iceland Iceland Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson is an Icelandic handball player who plays for AG København in the Danish Handball League.-Biography:... 10 (3 pen) Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson 9 (5 pen) Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Indriði Stefánsson is an Icelandic handball player who currently plays for AG_København in Denmark. He is the current captain for the Iceland national handball team. His demarcation is right back... 8 |
18:00 |
| Denmark Denmark Joachim Boldsen Joachim Boldsen Joachim Boldsen is a Danish team handball player. He is European Champion by winning the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship with the Danish national handball team.... 6 (1 pen) |
29–25 | Hungary Hungary Dániel Buday 9 (3 pen) Gyula Gál Gyula Gál Gyula Gál is a Hungarian handball player, currently playing for RK Zagreb and the Hungarian national team.He made his international debut on 15 March 1999 against France.... 6 |
20:15 |
| January 27, 2006 | |||
| Hungary Hungary Gergő Iváncsik Gergő Iváncsik Gergő Iváncsik is a Hungarian handballer who plays for MKB Veszprém KC and the Hungarian national team.-Club:... 6 Tamás Iváncsik Tamás Iváncsik Tamás Iváncsik is a Hungarian handballer who plays for MKB Veszprém KC and the Hungarian national team.The quick winger participated on three European Championships and represented Hungary on further three World Championships .-Personal:His father, Mihály Iváncsik is a former handball player, who... 5 |
24–29 | Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro Žikica Milosavljević 8 (2 pen) Momir Ilić Momir Ilić Momir Ilić is a Serbian handballer, playing for German Handball-Bundesliga team THW Kiel.- External links :*... 6 (3 pen) Dragan Sudžum 6 (1 pen) |
18:00 |
| Iceland Iceland Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson 10 (6 pen) Arnór Atlason Arnór Atlason Arnór Atlason is an Icelandic handball player, currently playing for Danish Handball League side FCK Håndbold. He also plays for the Icelandic national handball team.- Hobbys :... 6 |
28–28 | Denmark Denmark Per Leegård 6 Joachim Boldsen Joachim Boldsen Joachim Boldsen is a Danish team handball player. He is European Champion by winning the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship with the Danish national handball team.... 5 |
20:15 |
| January 29, 2006 | |||
| Hungary Hungary Dániel Buday 9 (3 pen) Gyula Gál Gyula Gál Gyula Gál is a Hungarian handball player, currently playing for RK Zagreb and the Hungarian national team.He made his international debut on 15 March 1999 against France.... 8 Gergő Iváncsik Gergő Iváncsik Gergő Iváncsik is a Hungarian handballer who plays for MKB Veszprém KC and the Hungarian national team.-Club:... 7 |
35–31 | Iceland Iceland Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson 10 (4 pen) Róbert Gunnarsson Róbert Gunnarsson Róbert Gunnarsson is an Icelandic handball player who currently plays for VfL Gummersbach in The Handball-Bundesliga. Róbert Gunnarsson is joining German Bundesliga team Rhein-Neckar Löwen 2011 and will play there with Ólafur Stefánsson and Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson.-External links:* at... 6 |
18:00 |
| Denmark Denmark Søren Stryger Søren Stryger Søren Stryger is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the German club SG Flensburg-Handewitt.... 9 (5 pen) Michael Knudsen 7 |
33–29 | Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro Dragan Sudžum 5 (3 pen) |
20:15 |
Group D
This group was played out in the WankdorfhalleWankdorfhalle
Wankdorfhalle is an indoor sporting arena located in Berne, Switzerland. The capacity of the arena is 3,100 people. It hosted some matches at the 2006 European Men's Handball Championship and the home games of BSV Bern Muri and Bern Capitals....
, Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
. Russia became the first team to qualify for the main round when they beat Portugal on 27 January. Croatia joined them later that day with a 32–28 win over Norway, and Norway and Portugal played off for the last main round spot on Sunday 29 January. Norway won that match by ten goals, thus proceeding to the main round with zero points; Russia got a full score with four points, despite nearly throwing away a five-goal lead in the last five minutes against Croatia.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Russia RussiaRussia national handball team The Russia national handball team is the national handball team of Russia and is controlled by the Handball Union of Russia. Russia is designated by IHF and EHF as the inheritor of the record of USSR until 1990 and the Unified Team during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.-History of handball... |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 82 | |
 Croatia CroatiaCroatia national handball team The Croatian national handball team is a handball team that represents Croatia in the international matches and has been playing since the country's independence in the early 1990s... |
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 79 | |
 Norway NorwayNorway national handball team The Norway national handball team is the national handball team of Norway. Controlled by the Norwegian Handball Federation it represents Norway in international matches.- Current squad :... |
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 85 | 83 | |
 Portugal PortugalPortugal national handball team The Portugal national handball team is the national handball team of Portugal. The Portuguese squad achieved minor results at international level, but has qualified twice for the World Men's Handball Championship, and reached the 12 th place in the 2003 edition, when they hosted the... |
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 80 | 96 | –16 |
| January 26, 2006 | |||
| Croatia Croatia Mirza Džomba Mirza Džomba Mirza Džomba is a retired Croatian handball player, World champion and Olympic champion.-Career:Džomba began his career by his hometown club RK Zamet Rijeka, where he stayed until 1996, when he signed to RK Zagreb. He spent five years with the capital team, winning the national championship and... 8 (4 pen) Petar Metličić Petar Metlicic Petar Metličić is a Croatian handball player. He was captain of the Croatian national team which won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens as well as the 2003 World Handball Championship in Portugal... 5 |
24–21 | Portugal Portugal Ricardo Costa Ricardo Costa Ricardo Costa may refer to:*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa *Ricardo Valter da Costa, Brazilian footballer*Ricardo Mion Varella Costa, Brazilian footballer... 6 (2 pen) |
17:00 |
| Russia Russia Vitaliy Ivanov 7 (2 pen) Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško.... 6 (4 pen) |
24–21 | Norway Norway Alexander Buchmann Alexander Buchmann Alexander Buchmann Alexander Buchmann Alexander Buchmann (born January 24, 1982 is a former Norwegian handball player.-Biography:His last club was US d'Ivry Handball in the French First League of Handball... 7 (6 pen) Kristian Kjelling Kristian Kjelling Kristian Cato Walby Kjelling is a Norwegian handball player who currently plays in for Danish club AaB Håndbold, a team based in Aalborg.-Career:... 6 Frank Løke Frank Løke Frank Løke is a Norwegian team handball player. He was voted into the All Star Team at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. Løke plays for the Croatian team RK Zagreb.-Family:... 5 |
19:10 |
| January 27, 2006 | |||
| Portugal Portugal Ricardo Costa Ricardo Costa Ricardo Costa may refer to:*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa *Ricardo Valter da Costa, Brazilian footballer*Ricardo Mion Varella Costa, Brazilian footballer... 6 (2 pen) David Tavares 6 (2 pen) Eduardo Coelho 5 (1 pen) |
32–35 | Russia Russia Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško.... 6 (1 pen) Alexey Peskov 6 Yuriy Egorov 5 (2 pen) |
18:00 |
| Norway Norway Kristian Kjelling Kristian Kjelling Kristian Cato Walby Kjelling is a Norwegian handball player who currently plays in for Danish club AaB Håndbold, a team based in Aalborg.-Career:... 6 |
28–32 | Croatia Croatia Ivano Balić 8 Renato Sulić Renato Sulic Renato Sulić is a Croatian handball player who currently plays for MKB Veszprém KC.He is a former Croatian international, who represented his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.-External links:*... 7 Slavko Goluža Slavko Goluža Slavko Goluža is a retired Croatian team handball player. He is the coach of the Croatia national handball team.... 5 (5 pen) Blaženko Lacković Blaženko Lackovic Blaženko Lacković is a Croatian handball player. He is World champion from 2003 with the Croatian national team, and Olympic champion from 2004... 5 |
20:15 |
| January 29, 2006 | |||
| Croatia Croatia Ivano Balić 9 |
29–30 | Russia Russia Alexey Rastvortsev Alexey Rastvortsev Aleksey Petrovich Rastvortsev is a Russian handball player who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and in the 2008 Summer Olympics.He was born in Belgorod.In 2004 he was a member of the Russian team which won the bronze medal in the Olympic tournament... 10 Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško.... 7 (5 pen) |
17:00 |
| Portugal Portugal Carlos Carneiro Carlos Carneiro Carlos Paulo Martins Carneiro is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.-Football career:... 7 Ricardo Dias Ricardo Dias Ricardo Jorge dos Santos Dias is a Portuguese footballer who plays for G.D. Tourizense on loan from F.C. Porto, as a midfielder.- External links :* *... 6 |
27–37 | Norway Norway Frank Løke Frank Løke Frank Løke is a Norwegian team handball player. He was voted into the All Star Team at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. Løke plays for the Croatian team RK Zagreb.-Family:... 8 Kristian Kjelling Kristian Kjelling Kristian Cato Walby Kjelling is a Norwegian handball player who currently plays in for Danish club AaB Håndbold, a team based in Aalborg.-Career:... 6 Børge Lund Børge Lund Børge Lund is a Norwegian handball player. He has played 169 matches and scored 320 goals for the Norway national handball team between 2000 and 2010. He participated at the 2005 and 2007 World Men's Handball Championship.-References:... 6 |
19:10 |
Group I
The matches in this group were played in St. Jakobshalle, Basel. Slovenia had gone through their group with four points from their two matches, but lost initially to France, who were second after two matches. Indeed, Group B teams dominated this group; all nine matches in the second round were won by teams from Group B, and Germany's 36–22 win over Ukraine in the first round of main round play was the largest all tournament. Ukraine were thus knocked out of the semis with two games to play.Germany continued on the winning path the following day, taking a four-goal lead at half-time against Slovenia in a rerun of the 2004 final, before Slovenia pegged them back to 27–27 midway through the second half. The following nine minutes gave the Germans a five-goal advantage, with keeper Henning Fritz
Henning Fritz
Henning Fritz was born on September 21, 1974 in Magdeburg, Germany. He is a German Handball goalkeeper. He is also the first goalkeeper to be named World Player of the Year, in 2004....
conceding one goal in those nine minutes, and with five minutes to spare Slovenia could only come back to a three-goal deficit. Nevertheless, Germany were still third in the group, as France beat Poland by ten goals and Spain were eventually pegged back to 31–29 by Ukraine after conceding five goals without reply in the last seven minutes. However, Ukraine missed a penalty shot from Konstantyyn Tkhorevskyy and Spain prevailed.
The final round of matches opened with Germany beating Poland by eight goals, winning the first half by 16–7 and controlling from there, as their keeper Johannes Bitter
Johannes Bitter
Johannes Bitter is a German team handball player and goalkeeper. He is World champion from 2007 with the German national team. He participated on the German team that finished 4th at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship...
saved 21 shots. By contrast, the two Polish keepers had an aggregate of six saves. However, Germany needed either France or Spain to lose their matches, and France would not oblige; they beat Ukraine by 30–20 to qualify for the semi-finals. Spain needed a draw against Slovenia to qualify, and the teams were within two goals of each other for most of the first half. The Spanish goalkeeper made four saves in the final five minutes of the first half, allowing Spain to get a 19–16 lead, and Slovenia never came closer than two goals after that. Spain thus qualified for the semi-finals in first place, ahead of France, while Germany played off for fifth place and a spot at the 2008 European Championship.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain Spain Spain national handball team The Spain national handball team is the national handball team of Spain and is controlled by the Spain Handball Federation.-2008 Olympic squad:*1 José Javier Hombrados – BM Ciudad Real*2 Alberto Entrerríos – BM Ciudad Real... |
9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 164 | 144 | |
| France France France national handball team France national handball team is the handball team, supervised by the French Handball Federation, that represents France in the international matches.... |
8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 148 | 125 | |
| Germany Germany Germany national handball team The Germany national handball team is the national handball team of Germany. Germany won the handball world cup in 1938, 1978 and in 2007 as the host of the handball world cup-Achievements:Olympic Games* winner in 1936... |
7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 160 | 137 | |
| Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia national handball team The Slovenia national handball team represents Slovenia in international handball matches. The current coach is Zvonimir Serdarušić.- World Men's Handball Championship record :- European Men's Handball Championship record :... |
4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 162 | 169 | –7 |
| Poland Poland Poland national handball team The Poland men's national handball team is the national handball team of Poland, controlled by the Polish Handball Association , that represents Poland in the international matches.- Olympic games :... |
2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 132 | 154 | –22 |
| Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine national handball team The Ukraine national handball team is the national handball team of Ukraine.-World Men's Handball Championship record:... |
0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 126 | 163 | –37 |
| January 31, 2006 | |||
| Ukraine Ukraine Sergiy Shelmenko 5 Yuriy Petrenko 5 (1 pen) |
22–36 | Germany Germany Florian Kehrmann Florian Kehrmann Florian Kehrmann is a German handball player.Kehrmann has played for TUSEM Essen from 1994 until 1995 and for Sportring Solingen from 1995 until 1999... 9 (1 pen) Pascal Hens Pascal Hens Pascal "Pommes" Hens is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team... 5 |
15:15 |
| Slovenia Slovenia Miladin Kozlina 8 Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka, also Sergej Rutenka, is a Belarusian handball player. Besides Belarusian citizenship in 2003 he acquired also Slovenian citizenship. In January, 2008, he received the Spanish nationality, renouncing the Slovenian nationality... 6 (1 pen) |
30–34 | France France Luc Abalo Luc Abalo Luc Abalo is a French handball player. Official player for the national handball team since 2006 and the European championship, he was on the teams that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the European champion title in 2010 and the World champion title in 2009 and 2011.-References:... 8 Joel Abati Joël Abati Joël Marc Abati is a French handball player, currently playing for Montpellier HB in France.Before joining Montpellier HB, Abati played ten years for SC Magdeburg in Germany.- History:... 5 Nikola Karabatic Nikola Karabatic Nikola Karabatić ) is a French team handball player, born to a Croatian father and Serbian mother.He was part of the French national handball team that won the bronze medal at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. He was top scorer at the championship together with Ivano Balić and Lars... 5 Bertrand Gille 5 |
17:30 |
| Poland Poland Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski is a Polish team handball player, playing on the Poland national handball team. He received a silver medal with the Polish team at the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship and a bronze medal at the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship in Croatia... 5 Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki is a Polish handball player, currently under contract at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He also is a star of Poland national handball team. Bielecki won team silver medal in the World Handball Championship in 2007 and bronze in 2009. He is known for his powerful throws... 5 (1 pen) |
25–34 | Spain Spain Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Comas is a Spanish handball player. He currently plays for Barcelona.He participated at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the Spain national handball team. The team won a bronze medal, defeating Croatia. He was included as "Best right wing" in that tournament's All... 11 (5 pen) Alberto Entrerríos Alberto Entrerríos Alberto Entrerrios is a Spanish European Handballer for BM Ciudad Real. He is 192 cm tall and weighs 100 kg... 7 Rolando Urios 5 |
20:00 |
| February 1, 2006 | |||
| Slovenia Slovenia Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka, also Sergej Rutenka, is a Belarusian handball player. Besides Belarusian citizenship in 2003 he acquired also Slovenian citizenship. In January, 2008, he received the Spanish nationality, renouncing the Slovenian nationality... 10 (5 pen) Renato Vugrinec 7 |
33-36 | Germany Germany Christian Zeitz Christian Zeitz Christian Zeitz is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team. He is World Champion from 2007, and European champion from 2004.-References:... 8 Torsten Jansen Torsten Jansen Torsten "Toto" Jansen is a German handballer, currently playing for Hamburg in the Bundesliga... 7 (1 pen) Florian Kehrmann Florian Kehrmann Florian Kehrmann is a German handball player.Kehrmann has played for TUSEM Essen from 1994 until 1995 and for Sportring Solingen from 1995 until 1999... 7 |
15:15 |
| Poland Poland Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski Marcin Lijewski is a Polish team handball player, playing on the Poland national handball team. He received a silver medal with the Polish team at the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship and a bronze medal at the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship in Croatia... 7 (2 pen) Dawid Nilsson 6 |
21–31 | France France Olivier Girault Olivier Girault Olivier Girault is a now retired French team handball player, who is currently the coach of the Paris Handball team... 7 (2 pen) Luc Abalo Luc Abalo Luc Abalo is a French handball player. Official player for the national handball team since 2006 and the European championship, he was on the teams that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the European champion title in 2010 and the World champion title in 2009 and 2011.-References:... 5 |
17:45 |
| Ukraine Ukraine Sergiy Shel'menko 5 Mykola Stesyura 5 |
29–31 | Spain Spain Juan García Juan Garcia Juan Garcia* Juan Tyrone Garcia, Famous Mexican Marial Artist and actor* Juan M. Garcia, U.S. politician, Texas State Representative* Juan Garcia Abrego drug lord, Gulf Cartel* Juan García Esquivel , Mexican band leader... 10 (4 pen) Julio Fis Julio Fis Julio Fis Rousseduy is a Spanish handball player who currently plays for CB Ciudad de Logroño of the Spanish Liga ASOBAL. His most usual position is left full-back.-Clubs:*Győr *Nyíregyháza *CD Bidasoa... 6 |
20:00 |
| February 2, 2006 | |||
| Poland Poland Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki is a Polish handball player, currently under contract at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He also is a star of Poland national handball team. Bielecki won team silver medal in the World Handball Championship in 2007 and bronze in 2009. He is known for his powerful throws... 8 (4 pen) Leszek Starczan 5 |
24–32 | Germany Germany Florian Kehrmann Florian Kehrmann Florian Kehrmann is a German handball player.Kehrmann has played for TUSEM Essen from 1994 until 1995 and for Sportring Solingen from 1995 until 1999... 9 (1 pen) Torsten Jansen Torsten Jansen Torsten "Toto" Jansen is a German handballer, currently playing for Hamburg in the Bundesliga... 6 Pascal Hens Pascal Hens Pascal "Pommes" Hens is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team... 5 |
15:15 |
| Ukraine Ukraine |
20–30 | France France Joel Abati Joël Abati Joël Marc Abati is a French handball player, currently playing for Montpellier HB in France.Before joining Montpellier HB, Abati played ten years for SC Magdeburg in Germany.- History:... 7 (2 pen) Michael Guigou Michaël Guigou Michaël Guigou is a French handball player, having played since the start of his career for Montpellier HB.... 5 |
17:45 |
| Slovenia Slovenia Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka Siarhei Rutenka, also Sergej Rutenka, is a Belarusian handball player. Besides Belarusian citizenship in 2003 he acquired also Slovenian citizenship. In January, 2008, he received the Spanish nationality, renouncing the Slovenian nationality... 9 (2 pen) Uros Žorman 5 |
33–39 | Spain Spain Alberto Entrerríos Alberto Entrerríos Alberto Entrerrios is a Spanish European Handballer for BM Ciudad Real. He is 192 cm tall and weighs 100 kg... 8 Rolando Urios 8 Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Comas is a Spanish handball player. He currently plays for Barcelona.He participated at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the Spain national handball team. The team won a bronze medal, defeating Croatia. He was included as "Best right wing" in that tournament's All... 6 (1 pen) Iker Romero Iker Romero Iker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona.... 6 |
20:00 |
Group II
This group's matches took place in the Kreuzbleichhalle, St. Gallen.Iceland took an early lead in this group after beating Russia 34–32 in the first match, which sent Russia down from first to third place. Croatia went second in the group after beating Denmark, left winger Goran Šprem
Goran Šprem
Goran Šprem is a Croatian handball player.Šprem started his professional career with RK Zagreb in the late 1990s. He also spent a season with RK Medveščak Zagreb in 2001 and 2002, before returning to RK Zagreb for a second spell with the club between 2002 and 2004...
settling the match when he scored two seconds before the end, while Norway were the only team without a point in this group after losing their match with Serbia and Montenegro. With 25 seconds remaining, Kristian Kjelling
Kristian Kjelling
Kristian Cato Walby Kjelling is a Norwegian handball player who currently plays in for Danish club AaB Håndbold, a team based in Aalborg.-Career:...
scored a penalty to equalise, but Milorad Krivokapić scored his only goal of the match just as the buzzer sounded to give Serbia and Montenegro the victory.
Russia quickly recovered from the loss against Iceland, with their keeper Alexei Kostygov saving 14 of 34 shots as Serbia/Montenegro were beaten 29–21, and went top of the table ahead of Croatia - who beat Iceland by one goal, though Iceland's last two goals came in the very last minute. In the last match on 1 February, Denmark kept their semi-final hopes alive with a 35–31 win over Norway, to stay within one point of the leaders.
The following day saw Croatia become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals when they beat Serbia and Montenegro by 34–30; the teams followed each other till 20–20 ten minutes into the second half, when wingers Goran Šprem
Goran Šprem
Goran Šprem is a Croatian handball player.Šprem started his professional career with RK Zagreb in the late 1990s. He also spent a season with RK Medveščak Zagreb in 2001 and 2002, before returning to RK Zagreb for a second spell with the club between 2002 and 2004...
and Mirza Džomba
Mirza Džomba
Mirza Džomba is a retired Croatian handball player, World champion and Olympic champion.-Career:Džomba began his career by his hometown club RK Zamet Rijeka, where he stayed until 1996, when he signed to RK Zagreb. He spent five years with the capital team, winning the national championship and...
scored five of six successive Croatian goals. Goalkeeper Vlado Šola
Vlado Šola
Vlado Šola is a retired Croatian team handball player. He was born in Prisoje, near Tomislavgrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and his family moved to Croatia when he was young....
saved 19 of 43 shots from Serbian players. Iceland needed a win against Norway, who had failed to win a match thus far in the tournament, and led 16–14 at half time after Norway threw away the ball on their last attack of the half and Iceland countered in a last goal. Norway came back, equalising eight minutes into the second half, and with ten minutes to go they took a three-goal lead which they never relinquished, eventually winning 36–33 to knock Iceland out of the championship. Norwegian back player Kjetil Strand
Kjetil Strand
Kjetil Øvrelid Strand is a Norwegian handball player. Strand played for Bjerringbro Silkeborg in Denmark before the 2006 European Championship. Afterwards he signed a contract with Aab Håndbold....
scored 19 goals in the match, eight more than any other player had done in a match thus far in the tournament, and more than half of Norway's goals.
The final match between Russia and Denmark was now a virtual quarter-final. Russia gained a 6–3 lead after ten minutes, but were pegged back, and by the end of the half it was 13–13. In the second half, Russia suffered three two-minute suspensions within a minute, and during the three-minute period of Danish numerical superiority they went from 19–17 to 22–17. The lead never shrunk below five goals again, Denmark eventually scoring 22 goals in the second half to win 35–28 and qualify for the semi-finals in second place.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia Croatia Croatia national handball team The Croatian national handball team is a handball team that represents Croatia in the international matches and has been playing since the country's independence in the early 1990s... |
8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 155 | 146 | |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark national handball team The Denmark national handball team is the national handball team of Denmark. Controlled by the Danish Handball Association it represents Denmark in international matches.... |
7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 161 | 147 | |
| Russia Russia Russia national handball team The Russia national handball team is the national handball team of Russia and is controlled by the Handball Union of Russia. Russia is designated by IHF and EHF as the inheritor of the record of USSR until 1990 and the Unified Team during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.-History of handball... |
6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 143 | 140 | |
| Iceland Iceland Iceland national handball team The Iceland national handball team is the national handball team of Iceland and is controlled by the Icelandic Handball Association.- World Championships :- European Championships :- Olympic games :- Current squad :... |
5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 159 | 156 | |
| Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro |
2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 137 | 157 | –20 |
| Norway Norway Norway national handball team The Norway national handball team is the national handball team of Norway. Controlled by the Norwegian Handball Federation it represents Norway in international matches.- Current squad :... |
2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 141 | 150 | –9 |
| January 31, 2006 | |||
| Iceland Iceland Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson is an Icelandic handball player who plays for AG København in the Danish Handball League.-Biography:... 11 Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Indriði Stefánsson is an Icelandic handball player who currently plays for AG_København in Denmark. He is the current captain for the Iceland national handball team. His demarcation is right back... 8 |
34–32 | Russia Russia Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško.... 8 (4 pen) Vasily Filippov 7 Oleg Frolov 5 |
15:45 |
| Denmark Denmark Søren Stryger Søren Stryger Søren Stryger is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the German club SG Flensburg-Handewitt.... 8 (3 pen) Joachim Boldsen Joachim Boldsen Joachim Boldsen is a Danish team handball player. He is European Champion by winning the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship with the Danish national handball team.... 6 |
30–31 | Croatia Croatia Petar Metličić Petar Metlicic Petar Metličić is a Croatian handball player. He was captain of the Croatian national team which won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens as well as the 2003 World Handball Championship in Portugal... 10 Blaženko Lacković Blaženko Lackovic Blaženko Lacković is a Croatian handball player. He is World champion from 2003 with the Croatian national team, and Olympic champion from 2004... 6 |
18:00 |
| Serbia & Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro Ratko Nikolić Ratko Nikolic Ratko Nikolić is a Serbian handballer. He plays as pivot for Portland San Antonio and is a former captain of the Serbia national handball team.-References:... 6 |
26–25 | Norway Norway Kjetil Strand Kjetil Strand Kjetil Øvrelid Strand is a Norwegian handball player. Strand played for Bjerringbro Silkeborg in Denmark before the 2006 European Championship. Afterwards he signed a contract with Aab Håndbold.... 9 Kristian Kjelling Kristian Kjelling Kristian Cato Walby Kjelling is a Norwegian handball player who currently plays in for Danish club AaB Håndbold, a team based in Aalborg.-Career:... 5 (2 pen) |
20:15 |
| February 1, 2006 | |||
| Serbia & Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro |
21–29 | Russia Russia Denis Krivoshlykov Denis Krivoshlykov Denis Ivanovich Krivoshlykov is a Russian team handball player and Olympic Champion from 2000 in Sydney. He received a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the Russian national team.-References:... 8 Timur Dibirov 5 |
15:45 |
| Iceland Iceland Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Indriði Stefánsson is an Icelandic handball player who currently plays for AG_København in Denmark. He is the current captain for the Iceland national handball team. His demarcation is right back... 8 Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson is an Icelandic handball player who plays for AG København in the Danish Handball League.-Biography:... 8 |
28–29 | Croatia Croatia Ivano Balić 9 Blaženko Lacković Blaženko Lackovic Blaženko Lacković is a Croatian handball player. He is World champion from 2003 with the Croatian national team, and Olympic champion from 2004... 9 |
18:00 |
| Denmark Denmark Jesper Jensen Jesper Jensen (handballer) Jesper Jensen is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the Danish club Skjern Håndbold.... 8 (5 pen) Lars Rasmussen 7 (4 pen) |
35-31 | Norway Norway Kristian Kjelling Kristian Kjelling Kristian Cato Walby Kjelling is a Norwegian handball player who currently plays in for Danish club AaB Håndbold, a team based in Aalborg.-Career:... 9 Håvard Tvedten Håvard Tvedten Håvard Tvedten is a Norwegian handball player, currently playing for the Spanish club Valladolid.He started his club career in Stord, and later played for AaB.... 7 Frank Løke Frank Løke Frank Løke is a Norwegian team handball player. He was voted into the All Star Team at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. Løke plays for the Croatian team RK Zagreb.-Family:... 6 |
20:15 |
| February 2, 2006 | |||
| Serbia & Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro Marko Krivokapić 7 (4 pen) Milorad Krivokapić 5 Momir Ilić Momir Ilić Momir Ilić is a Serbian handballer, playing for German Handball-Bundesliga team THW Kiel.- External links :*... 5 (2 pen) |
30–34 | Croatia Croatia Goran Šprem Goran Šprem Goran Šprem is a Croatian handball player.Šprem started his professional career with RK Zagreb in the late 1990s. He also spent a season with RK Medveščak Zagreb in 2001 and 2002, before returning to RK Zagreb for a second spell with the club between 2002 and 2004... 9 Ivano Balić 8 |
15:45 |
| Iceland Iceland Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Indriði Stefánsson is an Icelandic handball player who currently plays for AG_København in Denmark. He is the current captain for the Iceland national handball team. His demarcation is right back... 9 (4 pen) Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson is an Icelandic handball player who plays for AG København in the Danish Handball League.-Biography:... 6 Snorri Guðjónsson 5 |
33–36 | Norway Norway Kjetil Strand Kjetil Strand Kjetil Øvrelid Strand is a Norwegian handball player. Strand played for Bjerringbro Silkeborg in Denmark before the 2006 European Championship. Afterwards he signed a contract with Aab Håndbold.... 19 (8 pen) Frank Løke Frank Løke Frank Løke is a Norwegian team handball player. He was voted into the All Star Team at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. Løke plays for the Croatian team RK Zagreb.-Family:... 7 |
18:00 |
| Denmark Denmark Michael Knudsen 10 Søren Stryger Søren Stryger Søren Stryger is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the German club SG Flensburg-Handewitt.... 6 Lars Christiansen Lars Christiansen (handballer) Lars Roslyng Christiansen is a Danish team handball player. He is European Champion by winning the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship with the Danish national handball team... 5 (1 pen) |
35–28 | Russia Russia Vasily Filippov 6 Vitaly Ivanov 5 Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško.... 5 (5 pen) |
20:15 |
Knock-outs
These took place in the largest stadium to be used in the tournament, the HallenstadionHallenstadion
The Hallenstadion is a multi-purpose facility, in the Swiss city of Zurich.Designed by Bruno Giacometti, it opened on July 18, 1939, and was renovated in 2005....
in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(capacity 11,500). The first match was the fifth-place play-off, determining the final direct qualifying spot for the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship
2008 European Men's Handball Championship
The 2008 EHF European Men's Handball Championship was held in Norway from 17–27 January, in the cities of Bergen, Drammen, Lillehammer, Stavanger and Trondheim. Denmark won the tournament with Croatia second and France third....
; the other semi-finalists had already qualified directly. Russia took a two-goal lead through Oleg Frolov when he gave them 6–4 in the ninth minute, and Germany failed to catch up before half-time, though they won the last eight minutes 5–3. Russia went into the break with an 18–16 lead, but failed to score for eight minutes midway through the second half, while Christian Zeitz
Christian Zeitz
Christian Zeitz is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team. He is World Champion from 2007, and European champion from 2004.-References:...
scored four successive goals for Germany to take them into a three-goal lead, which they kept for the remainder of the match despite Eduard Kokcharov
Eduard Kokcharov
Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško....
scoring two penalties with five minutes to go. Zeitz ended up with 12 goals, eight of which came in the second half.
In the first of the two semi-finals, France faced Croatia, and after Croatia won the first 20 minutes by 10–8 the French goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer shut the goal. Nine saves were recorded before half-time, as France went into a 12–10 lead, and a further two in the first five minutes of the second half allowed France to build a four-goal lead. They never gave it away again, as Michael Guigou
Michaël Guigou
Michaël Guigou is a French handball player, having played since the start of his career for Montpellier HB....
netted six times in the second half to ensure a 29–23 victory.
Spain became the second team from preliminary group B to qualify for the final, coming back from a 15–16 deficit at half time when Iker Romero
Iker Romero
Iker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona....
scored four successive goals for Spain to bring them from 20–19 to 24–20. Denmark came within one goal, when Lars Rasmussen netted on a fast break, but three Spanish goals and two saves followed, and the Danes never came back in the match.
Denmark won the third place play-off, however, coming back from 2–5 down to lead 16–9 at half time against Croatia and eventually winning by five goals, before France went into the final against the defending World Champions Spain. France had lost the group stage match by three goals, and Spain took a 4–1 lead after five minutes, before a four-minute rally from France brought them back in the lead. Spain were catching up for the most part of the first half, equalising four times but not taking the lead until Iker Romero
Iker Romero
Iker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona....
scored a penalty shot in the 21st minute. France then won the last nine minutes of the half by 6–1, and went into the break with a four-goal lead.
Coming out of the break, Spain came within two goals, trailing by 20–22 when ten minutes had passed. However, they then went nearly fifteen minutes without a goal, which included a period of playing with six men against four. When Rolando Urios finally scored, France still led by 28–21 with six minutes to go, and France eventually won the match by 31–23 to win their first European Championship.
| February 4, 2006 | Fifth place play-off | ||
| Germany Germany Christian Zeitz Christian Zeitz Christian Zeitz is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team. He is World Champion from 2007, and European champion from 2004.-References:... 12 Pascal Hens Pascal Hens Pascal "Pommes" Hens is a German team handball player and World Champion. He received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team... 10 |
32–30 | Russia Russia Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Kokcharov Eduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško.... 10 (7 pen) Oleg Frolov 7 |
11:45 |
| Semi-finals | |||
| France France Michael Guigou Michaël Guigou Michaël Guigou is a French handball player, having played since the start of his career for Montpellier HB.... 10 (6 pen) Jerome Fernandez Jérôme Fernandez Jérôme Fernandez is a French handball player, currently playing for THW Kiel in Germany.-History:* 1997-1999 : Spacer's Toulouse* 1999-2002 : Montpellier HB* 2002-2008 : FC Barcelona Handbol... 5 Bertrand Gille 5 |
29–23 | Croatia Croatia Mirza Džomba Mirza Džomba Mirza Džomba is a retired Croatian handball player, World champion and Olympic champion.-Career:Džomba began his career by his hometown club RK Zamet Rijeka, where he stayed until 1996, when he signed to RK Zagreb. He spent five years with the capital team, winning the national championship and... 10 (5 pen) |
14:15 |
| Spain Spain Iker Romero Iker Romero Iker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona.... 10 (1 pen) Rolando Urios 5 Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Albert Rocas Comas is a Spanish handball player. He currently plays for Barcelona.He participated at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the Spain national handball team. The team won a bronze medal, defeating Croatia. He was included as "Best right wing" in that tournament's All... 5 (3 pen) |
34–31 | Denmark Denmark Michael Knudsen 7 |
17:00 |
| February 5, 2006 | Third place play-off | ||
| Croatia Croatia Blaženko Lacković Blaženko Lackovic Blaženko Lacković is a Croatian handball player. He is World champion from 2003 with the Croatian national team, and Olympic champion from 2004... 6 Mirza Džomba Mirza Džomba Mirza Džomba is a retired Croatian handball player, World champion and Olympic champion.-Career:Džomba began his career by his hometown club RK Zamet Rijeka, where he stayed until 1996, when he signed to RK Zagreb. He spent five years with the capital team, winning the national championship and... 6 (4 pen) Denis Špoljarić Denis Špoljaric Denis Špoljarić is a Croatian handball player. He is World champion from 2003 with the Croatian national team, and Olympic champion from 2004. He received a silver medal at the 2005 World championship, and a silver medal at the 2008 European championship.-References:... 5 |
27–32 | Denmark Denmark Lars Møller Madsen Lars Møller Madsen Lars Møller Madsen is a Danish team handball player. From 1st of January 2011 he plays for the Swedish club IFK Kristianstad.... 9 Jesper Jensen Jesper Jensen (handballer) Jesper Jensen is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the Danish club Skjern Håndbold.... 5 Søren Stryger Søren Stryger Søren Stryger is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the German club SG Flensburg-Handewitt.... 5 (1 pen) |
13:30 |
| Final | |||
| France France Nikola Karabatic Nikola Karabatic Nikola Karabatić ) is a French team handball player, born to a Croatian father and Serbian mother.He was part of the French national handball team that won the bronze medal at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship. He was top scorer at the championship together with Ivano Balić and Lars... 11 Joel Abati Joël Abati Joël Marc Abati is a French handball player, currently playing for Montpellier HB in France.Before joining Montpellier HB, Abati played ten years for SC Magdeburg in Germany.- History:... 6 (1 pen) |
31–23 | Spain Spain Juan García Juan Garcia Juan Garcia* Juan Tyrone Garcia, Famous Mexican Marial Artist and actor* Juan M. Garcia, U.S. politician, Texas State Representative* Juan Garcia Abrego drug lord, Gulf Cartel* Juan García Esquivel , Mexican band leader... 6 |
16:00 |
Final Ranking
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 | |
| 11 | |
| 12 | |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | |
| 16 | |
Top goalscorers
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All Star Team
- Goalkeeper: France Thierry Omeyer
- Left wing: Russia Eduard KokcharovEduard KokcharovEduard Aleksandrovich Koksharov , is a Russian handball player who plays for Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško....
- Left back: Spain Iker RomeroIker RomeroIker Romero Fernández is a 1.97 m and 100 kg Spanish handball player, currently playing left back for Barcelona....
- Playmaker: Croatia Ivano Balić
- Right back: Iceland Ólafur StefánssonÓlafur StefánssonÓlafur Indriði Stefánsson is an Icelandic handball player who currently plays for AG_København in Denmark. He is the current captain for the Iceland national handball team. His demarcation is right back...
- Right wing: Denmark Søren StrygerSøren StrygerSøren Stryger is a Danish team handball player. He plays for the German club SG Flensburg-Handewitt....
- Line player/pivot: Spain Rolando Urios