Due to a blistering final phase, the handball players qualified for the European Championship on Saturday. The team of the new trainer Per Johansson was still four points behind ten minutes before the end. Partly due to excellent goalkeeping by the born Amsterdam Yara ten Holte, they still won: 30-29.
The Orange squad already won 31-25 against Germany last Thursday, so another win was enough to qualify. Nevertheless, the visitors brutally took the upper hand and the Germans created a gap: 3-6. The Netherlands came closer in the first half, but halftime was reached 15-17 in German favor.
In the second half, the Orange finally tied the score (21-21), but Germany took a four-point lead: 22-26. There were still ten minutes to play. Thanks to two saves by Ten Holte, Lois Abbingh was able to secure the equalizer (29-29) and even the victory for the Orange: 30-29.
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Because of the victory, placement in the Netherlands can no longer escape. Belarus has been excluded from participation by the European handball association EHF because of the war in Ukraine. The European Championship will be played in November this year in three countries: North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia.