4′
8:36 p.m
Yellow card for Ýmir Örn Gíslason (Iceland)
The defense chief is warned for pulling his jersey and sees the yellow box early on.
3′
8:36 p.m
Since the Eagles’ troops are currently operating without alternating defense and attack, the tempo game should be an effective tool.
3′
8:35 p.m
Goal for Germany, 1:2 by Rune Dahmke
The DHB selection answered the goal with a lot of speed and Dahmke was quickly released to the outside. Against Viktor Gísli Hallgrímsson he hits the short corner with a twisted touchdown.
3′
8:35 p.m
Goal for Iceland, 0-2 by Sigvaldi Guðjónsson
2′
8:34 p.m
Goal for Iceland, 0-1 by Aron Pálmarsson
The captain opens the scoring! Under pressure from Köster, he shoots from eight meters and hits the ball through Wolff’s legs.
1′
8:33 p.m
No surprises in the lineups, coach Alfred Gíslason relies on the tried and tested staff. Only Rune Dahmke starts on the left wing for Lukas Mertens.
1′
8:32 p.m
Let’s go, the duel between Germany and Iceland is on!
8:25 p.m
The duel in the main round will be led by the two referees Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski from North Macedonia. The EHF is sending Nicolae Vizitiu from Andorra as supervisor. The Lanxess Arena is sold out, the teams are ready. The national anthems sound and then the ball flies.
8:20 p.m
So far, this great German team has sparked a real handball euphoria in the country. Not only the record crowd in Düsseldorf contributed to this, but also the sporting success against Switzerland. The top performers came into the tournament well, Knorr shone in the middle, Köster and captain Golla played a reliable inside block and the goalkeeper duo Wolff and Späth were also able to shine repeatedly. This was also the case in the nine-goal win against North Macedonia. In the end, the DHB selection narrowly lost out against strong French players due to minor inattention. But that should be forgotten today with a win against the Icelanders. But the islanders demonstrated a strong mentality on several occasions. At the start, they overturned a three-goal deficit in the last minute and scored an important point against Serbia. The next tough game followed against Montenegro, which ended with a goal in favor of the Vikings. However, the Icelanders had no chance against group winners Hungary and suffered a clear defeat with 33:25. So the eagle troupe should go into the first main round match slightly favored.
8:10 p.m
The main round group I has a colorful mix of teams, there are a few surprises. France and Germany from Group A, Croatia and Austria from Group B and Hungary and Iceland from Group C secured progression. The reigning Olympic champions from France and the ambitious Hungarians were each able to take two points from the duel against the runners-up in their group into the main round and are therefore in the best position to reach the semi-finals. Due to the draw, Croatia and Austria take one point in the direct comparison, Germany and Iceland are still uncountable. This group constellation leaves a lot of room for surprises, many exciting games lie ahead. Hungary and Austria, as well as France and Croatia, have already submitted, with the Austrians narrowly prevailing with a score of 30:29 before the French were able to wrest a tough 34:32 from Croatia. Now it’s the Germans’ turn, demanded by the Icelanders.
8:00 p.m
For the first time, one nation is the sole host of a European Championship with 24 participating teams. Your goal: to win the European handball crown in Germany. The tournament begins in six preliminary round groups of four teams, with the first and second place teams moving on to the six-team main round. The points from the direct duel in the preliminary round will be taken with you. Then there are another four games to determine the placement in the main round. The two best teams advance directly to the semi-finals, then play crosswise against the nations from the second main round. The respective third-placed teams still play for fifth place in the tournament. This means that excitement is guaranteed in every game in the main round; you can only go far in this tournament mode with optimal results. Any loss of points, be it in the main round or taken from the preliminary round, can decide whether you advance.
7:50 p.m
Hello and welcome to the 16th European Men’s Handball Championship! On the first matchday of the main round, Germany and Iceland meet in Group I, kick-off is in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne at 8:30 p.m.!