A goal in the last second of Bianca Bazaliu who surprised the Spanish goalkeeper Maddi Aalla with a throw from twelve meters condemned the ‘Guerreras’ to a bitter defeat (28-27) against Romania, in a match in which the Jose Ignacio Prades They deserved a better result.
But neither the sensational defensive work of the Spanish team, nor the sensational performance of the central Silvia Arderiuswho gave a whole lesson on how to assist the better placed teammate, prevented the defeat of the Spanish team, which greatly complicates their options to access the semifinals of the European.
???? @SilviaArderius! ????????#warriors #EHFEURO2022 #PlayWithHeart pic.twitter.com/ladfiwezRs
— RFEBalonmano (@RFEBalonmano) November 11, 2022
A fight for the medals for which the Spanish team seemed ready to fight, after a match in which José Ignacio Prades’ team once again demonstrated their mental strength, not only to overcome the many setbacks they are experiencing in this championship, but for put a power such as Romania on the ropes.
Aware of the danger of the lateral Cristina Neagutop scorer in the history of the European Championships, the Spanish team did not hesitate to bet on a very open defense from the start to try to prevent the whipping of the Romanian “gunboat”.
But the problem for José Ignacio Prades’s men was that Romania’s attack is not just reduced to Neagu’s long shots, but also has a formidable pivot in their ranks as Crina Pintea.
⏰ What a cruel END!#EHFEuro2022 #GuerrerasRTVE
????♀️Bazaliu’s whiplash from midfield gives Romania victory over the buzzer
????The magic of Arderius and Tchaptchet could not with Neagu’s Romania
➡️Spain gets 2 points https://t.co/Qwr1Q1LM3U pic.twitter.com/s39ZSdQ6T1
— Telesport (@telesport) November 11, 2022
A circumstance that made defensive work sterile of the ‘Guerreras’ since when the Spanish players came out to prevent Neagu’s shots, the pivot Pintea found the necessary spaces to beat the Spanish frame and when they took shelter on the six-meter line it was Neagu who scored a goal.
Quite a problem for the Spanish team that after twelve minutes saw how the Romanian team doubled them on the scoreboard (6-3) with three goals from Cristina Neagu and three from Crina Pintea.No possibility of recovering balls in defensethe Spanish team was also forced to attack again and again in positional attack, a facet in which Prades’s team once again fell victim to their continuous turnovers.
???? @EHFEURO
???? Jornada 1 – Main Round
⏱️ 60′ – Final
???? Romania???????? 28:27 ???????? Spain
???? SC Boris Trajkovski
???? @teledeporte????️ It couldn’t be… Untie Romania on the horn. It’s time to get up and go all out on Sunday!
#⃣ #warriors #EHFEURO2022 #PlayWithHeart pic.twitter.com/x8HpCOkukM
— RFEBalonmano (@RFEBalonmano) November 11, 2022
Only with the entrance to the track of the young pivot Lysa Tchaptchet, At just 19 years old, Spain seemed to find a solution to its offensive problems.
Two goals and two penalty shots caused by the Navarran pivot, who plays in the ranks of the European champion, the Vipers Kristiansand Norwegian, allowed the ‘Guerreras’ to cling to the match (10-8).
An offensive improvement that found continuity in the outstanding performance of the young goalkeeper Nicole Wigginswho in his first game as a starter in the European Championship left signs of huge future ahead with six saves, which allowed Spain to reach the break just one goal behind (12-11) on the scoreboard.
????????????????????????????????????????????????!! ???? Bianca Bazaliu gives Romania the win on the buzzer!! ???????? What a moment! ????#ehfeuro2022 | #playwithheart pic.twitter.com/xOlDjibeeg
— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) November 11, 2022
It was enough, however, for Tchaptchet to leave the track, excluded for two minutes, for José Ignacio Prades’s men to see each other again with a three point handicap (15-12) on the scoreboard.
But even so, the Spanish team did not give up, continuing to rely on their defensive work, the pillar on which the successes of the ‘Guerreras’ have historically been based, to get closer to a Romania, which seemed to begin to feel tired.
Especially the gigantic Pintea, who after scoring the five shots he tried in the first half, not only missed his first pitchbut on the next play he lost the ball.
Failures that allowed Spain to runa factor that not only made it possible for the ‘Guerreras’ to equalize the contest, but also to be ahead on the scoreboard for the first time in the match (18-19).
Epic. Simply EPIC! ???? A buzzer beater for history books gives Romania the victory! #ehfeuro2022 | #playwithheart | @grundfos pic.twitter.com/bdTsgUX3xP
— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) November 11, 2022
And it is that the Spanish team had found the formula to overcome Romania, physically drown those of Florentin Pera with a frenetic pace of play in which central defender Silvia Arderius played a fundamental role, demonstrating her ability to make the ‘Guerreras’ play at maximum speed.
Vision of the game to which Arderius, who joined just a few hours ago the concentration of the Spanish team for the Alicia Fernandez injury, his talent to assist with impossible passes to the best placed teammate.
An offensive improvement that did not diminish the intensity in defense of the Spanish team, which continued to bite the Romanian players, promoting recoveries that allowed Spain to enter the last six minutes of the game with a income of two goals (23-25).
But all the effectiveness that the Spanish team had shown in the second half was diluted at the worst moment, with two failed shots from Kaba Gassama, who crashed the ball into the crossbar, and Jennifer Gutierrez, who missed a penalty, which condemned the ‘Guerreras’ to be seen and not seen again behind on the scoreboard (26-25).
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Quite a test of maturity to which the Spanish team could not respond better, despite the occasional controversial arbitration decision, they reached the last seconds with options to tie the score.
But neither the goal of Esther Arrojeria, that established the 27-27 with nine seconds to go could prevent the defeat of the ‘Guerreras’ who saw as the very distant final launch of Bianca Bazaliu ended up inside the Spanish goal after touching the hands of the goalkeeper Maddi Aalla.
Datasheet:
28 – Romania: Hosu; Seraficeanu (-), Pristavita (1), Buceschi (6, 1p), Neagu (5, 1p), Tanasie (-) and Pintea (7) – initial team – Dumanska (ps), Ciuca (ps), Bazaliu (3 ), Dindiligan (-), Badea (2), Ostase (-), Lixandroiu (-), Lupei (-) and Grozav (4)
27 – Spain: Wiggins; Valdivia (1), Arcos (3), Gassama (3), Lara González (4), Barbosa (-) and Sole López (2) -initial team- Aalla (ps), Campos (1), Arrojeria (2), Arderius (1), Jennifer Gutiérrez (4, 2p), Etxeberria (2), Spugnini (-), Almudena Rodríguez (1) and Tchaptchet (3)
Marker every five minutes: 3-2, 4-3, 7-5, 8-6, 11-8 and 12-11 (Break) 14-12, 15-15, 19-20, 21-20, 24-25 and 28-27 ( Final)
referees: Ozren Backovic and Mirko Palackovic (SLO). They excluded Ostase (2) and Pristavita for Romania for two minutes; and Tchaptchet for Spain.
incidents: Match corresponding to the first day of the second phase of the European Championship in Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro, played at the Boris Trajkovski Arena in Skopje.