GROUP 6
Switzerland vs Hungary 32:37 (19:21)
Both teams were led by stalwart attackers and did not see their strongest day in goal, with attack dominating the clash, as reflected in the 40 goals scored in the first 30 minutes. For Switzerland, their iconic back Andy Schmid led with four goals and one assist in the opening half, while Hungary were powered by an exceptional Mate Lekai, who scored seven goals in the first half alone and dished out one assist.
The match was a classic rollercoaster, especially in the opening period. After a close race through the first 20 minutes, Switzerland pulled away to a three-goal lead, 17:14. But after the home side had a three-goal gap in their favour only six minutes before the break, the half-time buzzer sounded with Hungary in the lead by two — and that was the start of their stronger showing.
It took only three minutes of play after the break for Hungary to create a five-goal gap, off a goal from back Zoran Ilic. Although Switzerland reduced the deficit more than once, Hungary also led by five more than once as the final whistle approached. Lekai scored his 11th goal on the 50-minute mark, taking the difference to six and essentially deciding the game.
Key stat: Hungary have scored upwards of 35 goals in every match of the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers and are the leaders overall in goals scored, with a total of 114 following the attack-fuelled match against Switzerland. On Thursday night, Lekai contributed a huge total of 14 goals to the victory, taking him up the competition’s top scorer standings to seventh place, with 22 overall. With only three shots missed in all three games, Lekai has the highest accuracy of the top scorers, with 88 per cent.
