Summary: Germany, France, Austria win main round openers

• main round group I begins in Cologne
• Austria surprise again with 30:29 win vs Hungary; France win classic with Croatia 34:32; Andy Wolff heroics help Germany to 26:24 win against Iceland
• join the watchalong live on Twitch
• download the Home of Handball app to make your match predictions and vote for Grundfos Player of the Match (45 minutes into each game)
• follow the EHF EURO social media channels: X, Facebook and Instagram
• find out how to follow the tournament
• all photographs © Kolektiff Images

22:40

We finish up this evening with a piece from EHF journalist Kevin Domas, who spoke to Nikola Karabatic and his brother Luka straight after France beat Croatia in the second game, and Karabatic the elder became the all-time top scorer of the Men's EHF EURO. While Karabatic himself is quite chilled about the record, his mum is not ...

Tomorrow the main round returns to Hamburg, and the blog will return at 10:00 CET. See you then!

22:30

All the highlights of today's thrillers are on our YouTube channel - click here.

22:20

Germany's quest for the final weekend took a key step forward with that win against Iceland, while Iceland's chances look slim. Adrian Costeiu has analysed the performances. 

22:06 | FULL-TIME

Germany 26:24 Iceland

Another exciting game to end the first night of action in Cologne. Yet another stellar goalkeeping outing for Andy Wolff has been key - although Viktor Hallgrímsson actually made one more stop - but Wolff's saves were arguably more important. Julian Köster finished it off just before the buzzer, after Bjarki Mar Elisson tried and failed to intercept in Germany's last attack.

Ultimately, a few early errors proved costly for Iceland and they have not had the attacking efficiency we have come to expect from this side. 

There's no surprises about the Grundfos Player of the Match: Andy Wolff, with 12 saves (33 per cent).

22:00

Iceland are awarded a penalty as they trail by one goal, and Ómar Ingi Magnusson steps up to take it but it's yet another save from Andy Wolff! Iceland have missed four of their six penalties.

Alfred Gislason takes a timeout: 90 seconds to hold on to the win.

21:56

Another penalty for Germany and Timo Kastening gets this one past Björgvin Pall Gustavsson. Iceland trail 21:23, but Janus Smarason adds his sixth goal in what has been an outstanding performance. With four minutes to go, either side could win this, and we know Iceland are good in crunch situations.

21:52

A chance for Germany as Janus Smarason hits the cross-bar and then mistakes in defence give the hosts a penalty and an opportunity to go two goals up. But Björgvin Pall Gustavsson comes on to face Juri Knorr and makes a superb penalty save, his second of the match. Unbelievable.

21:47

The pace picks up, the goals start coming, and it's end-to-end at 20:20 with nine minutes to go.

One more goal for Juri Knorr and he'll be the top scorer of the competition at this stage.

21:43

The high number of saves by both teams means their shooting efficiency is low at just over 50 per cent. 

Commentator Paul Bray notes Germany have never lost a competitive match in the LANXESS arena - in the clash of the Icelandic coaches, will it be Alfred Gislason or his old teammate Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson who comes out on top?

21:39

A string of saves for Iceland and Janus Smarason levels the game at 16:16 before Kai Häfner makes it 17:16. 

Voting is open for the Grundfos Player of the Match. 

21:32

Almost 20,000 people are screaming Andy Wolff's name every time he makes a save, and that's been 10 times so far. The German defence is also working extremely well and frustrating Iceland constantly. But Viktor Hallgrímsson is up to nine saves and Iceland have closed back to one goal, almost 10 minutes into the half.

21:28

Iceland started the half well, but have had a few unlucky moments, and Germany's greater efficiency has paid off with a 14:12 lead. 

21:23

Thirty minutes to conclude this excellent opening night in main round group I start now.

21:16

Here's EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu with his observations of the game so far, as Iceland chase the hosts hard in Cologne.

21:09 | HALF-TIME

Germany 11:10 Iceland

Once again, Andy Wolff is key to Germany's success as he stops and stops and stops. But Iceland are looking more like themselves than they did against Hungary the other night, and we have a third really tight game in group I.

Currently, Aron Pálmarsson is top scorer in a low-scoring game, with three goals.

21:00

Germany lead 8:7 as Viktor Hallgrímsson finds a bit more rhythm and starts to save. Iceland's defence has improved too, which always helps.

20:52

Bjarki Mar Elison ends a six-minute goal drought for Iceland with a fast break Andy Wolff can't stop, but Germany still lead 7:6. Viktor Hallgrímsson isn't having the same luck between the posts as his counterpart, but is improving.

20:46

Germany - and Andreas Wolff - have got into gear and levelled the game at 5:5. Are you up for a third close match in group I?

20:38

Iceland have had a poor start in other games, but here they've been really good so far, able to play their preferred style of handball and leading 2:1 after five minutes - with Aron Pálmarsson's second goal then putting them 3:1 up.

20:30

After a technical issue with the Icelandic national anthem, the game throws off in front of a packed arena.

20:20

This game between Germany and Iceland will have live audio description. Click here to access the tool!

20:15

Just like France and Croatia, Germany and Iceland faced off at the 2019 World Championship in Cologne, where Germany won by five goals (24:19). That match, five years and a day ago, was their last official meeting. It's one-all when it comes to EHF EURO head-to-head encounters, but Germany have won seven of the nine games played. With Iceland struggling to find their offensive form this tournament, the hosts are surely the heavy favourites tonight?

Find all the match statistics here: Germany vs Iceland

20:05

Right, one more game to go - Germany vs Iceland. Expect the LANXESS arena to be packed out. 

Which side will pick up their first main round points? 

19:55

Here is the goal which put Nikola Karabatic top of the goal-scorer standings.

19:50

France seem to have shrugged off the poor form which meant they struggled against Switzerland, and EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu thinks they are now real contenders - check out the match review.

19:39 | FULL-TIME

France 34:32 Croatia

A nailbiting last few minutes for the fans as Croatia play with a man down after Filip Glavas is suspended for fouling Dylan Nahi. As France's power play period ends, with about 30 seconds on the clock, Nicolas Tournat scores to give France a two-goal lead.

Goran Perkovac calls a timeout to see if Croatia can pull off a miracle - but their attack is clumsy and produces nothing and France can celebrate a narrow win.

Dika Mem, with six goals including five assists, is the Grundfos Player of the Match.

This puts France in a strong position in the group, with four points ahead of Austria's three.

19:32

But wait, Dominik Kuzmanovic saves AGAIN and Croatia transition fast and are back to within one goal. 

19:30

France have a three-goal lead going into the last five minutes - as promised, it's a close game. They look like they might just hang on but it's going to be tight as Luka Lovre Klarica scores his fourth to make it 31:29.

19:23

France lead 27:26 and both Dika Mem and Veron Nacinovic are suspended at the same time - Mem distinctly unhappy. Croatia are in attack but the pace of play has slowed.

19:17

France's four-goal lead has been cut to two and Croatia are pressing hard now in attack and defence. Maybe that loss of Ludovic Fabregas is starting to pay ...

19:12

An empty net beckons Nikola Karabatic and he scores his fifth goal of the game - his 10th of the tournament, putting him past Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson.

19:08

France have a mini-run and go ahead 24:21, sparking a timeout for Croatia. A couple of turnovers have proved costly.

Dylan Nahi is now on on the left wing in place of Hugo Descat and has scored his first. 

But Ludovic Fabregas receives his third two-minute suspension after hanging on to Veron Nacinovic's shirt for too long, and his game is done; is this a glimmer of hope for Croatia?

19:02

Ludovic Fabregas receives his second two-minute suspension for a clumsy foul - France can't lose him, he is key to defence. Croatia continue to press hard, although France lead 21:20.

18:57

Nikola Karabatic has equalled the all-time Men's EHF EURO top scorer rankings. His 288th goal at final tournaments levels with the record set by Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson. Both men are some way off Cristina Neagu's 303 goals in EHF EURO tournaments.

18:54

The second half begins.

18:50

This sublime in-flight pass and goal from Hugo Descat to Yanis Lenne was one of the highlights of that close first half.

18:39 | HALF-TIME

France 18:18 Croatia

France's defence has crumbled a little under pressure from Croatia, and Croatia are scoring more easily.

Just before the break, Veron Nacinovic reached high to block Elohim Prandi and whacked Prandi in the face. A video review by the referees made it a two-minute suspension, but France could not capitalise on the power play in the seconds left in the half. 

Dominik Kuzmanovic's save rate is now 55 per cent (six saves). Dika Mem is the top scorer with five goals and several players have scored three.

18:32

Dominik Kuzmanovic is changing the face of the game, with four saves (50 per cent) since he came on. France lead 17:15.

18:28

Croatia are scoring quickly now - blocking the French attack and scoring on the fast break, with two in a row from Marin Jelinic. They've stopped France from pulling further ahead.

18:23

Better defending from France has helped them to a 13:10 lead and the flow is much better now from the Olympic champions. Croatia are struggling a little; they've swapped Matej Mandic for Dominik Kuzmanovic in goal.

18:17

Dika Mem's third goal gives France a 9:8 lead, and after their good start, Croatia are finding life tougher. Goran Perkovac calls a timeout. 

18:10

Mario Sostaric has scored a perfect 20 goals from 20 shots this tournament. He puts Croatia up 5:3.

Nikola Karabatic nets his first of the game, and that's four to go until he overtakes Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson.

18:05

A fairly level start to the game in terms of goals, but Croatia's defence is better than France's and it's taking France much longer to score anything. 

18:00

France and Croatia throw off, but without Domagoj Duvnjak who's sitting this one out.

17:45

This isn't the first time Croatia have played France in the LANXESS arena - they met here almost exactly five years ago at the 2019 IHF Men's World Championship, with Croatia winning 23:20 in the main round. But in 2007 in Cologne, in the world championship quarter-final, France won by three goals (21:18). In fact, close games are the pattern for these two teams, so we're hoping the same happens today.

One last milestone to keep an eye on: five goals for Nikola Karabatic would make him the all-time Men's EHF EURO top scorer. 

Follow the game: France vs Croatia

17:30

We're now starting to think about France vs Croatia, a replay of the EHF EURO 2010 final and a match between two perennial rivals. They've played each other 12 times at the EHF EURO, with France winning nine of those games, including a 27:22 victory in Szeged two years ago. 

France broke through the 3,000-goal marker at the EHF EURO in their last game against Germany; Croatia are 41 goals away from the same target, which realistically they will hit in the next main round match.

17:15

Austria have their second win of the tournament (as well as two draws), Hungary lose, and the Men's EHF EURO 2024 just keeps getting more interesting. Read what EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu has to say about that game.

17:01

In their first meeting in a decade, Austria take their fourth victory over Hungary in history. And just like 10 years ago in Herning, it's a one-goal win.

Constantin Möstl, ending the game with 11 saves, was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match.

16:57 | FULL-TIME

Hungary 29:30 Austria

As the clock heads towards 58 minutes Bendegúz Bóka puts Hungary up. Then Markus Mahr equalises; Gábor Ancsin misses at the other end; Nikola Bilyk scores a fast break and Austria lead. 

Chema Rodriguez calls a timeout and tells Hungary they need to score fast. There's 62 seconds left on the clock.

On the restart, Austria defend as best they can but young centre back Gergö Fazekas makes it a level game once more, and Lukas Herburger receives a suspension. Austria are a man down for the remaining time, but on the attack Bilyk again scores. 

Hungary's final shot in normal time is blocked but they're awarded a free throw - it goes wide and Austria win to continue their amazing tournament and end Hungary's strong winning streak.

19:52

Constantin Möstl has been superb all tournament - what a senior championship debut for the 23-year-old goalkeeper.

19:50

With five minutes to play Sebastian Frimmel is suspended; Tobias Wagner scores on the attack and Hungary have a minute of power play to exploit. Bence Bánhidi equalises quickly. It's 27:27.

19:45

Hungary are still using their solid defence to good effect, but it's Möstl who is doing a huge part in keeping Austria just ahead in a period with very little success for either team.

Robert Weber is one of the few to have scored lately, netting his 950th goal for Austria.

16:39

With less than 15 minutes to go, it's still level (24:24) and voting for Player of the Match is open.

16:35

Hungary defend hard, but Austria's extra man gives them the lead briefly at 23:22. Dominik Mathe responds quickly, and it's all square, again. 

This was an early Mathe goal.

16:29

Austria are still playing seven-on-six and have conceded two empty net goals, helping Hungary to a 22:20 lead. 

16:23

Hungary's specialist defenders are still working hard. Austria rotate less, but are also working hard in defence and there's a period where neither side can score. Austria have had a couple of unlucky misses, and Hungary lead 19:18.

16:15

The second half will start soon - in the meantime, enjoy Robert Weber doing Robert Weber things.

16:10

EHF journalist Kevin Domas thinks Hungary have the better chances of winning this game - see what he thinks at half-time.

16:05 | HALF-TIME

Hungary 17:17 Austria

After a slowish start, Austria worked out what they needed to do and got back into the game, although Hungary have been more efficient throughout. Lukas Hutecek's buzzer-beater makes it a draw at half-time. The excellent Robert Weber is again the top scorer with five goals.

16:02

Kristóf Palacsics was key to Hungary's last win and he keeps Hungary just ahead of Austria as the first half comes towards its end - but this is close.

15:55

Austria have stepped up in defence and successfully fend off the Hungarian attack despite being a man down while Michael Miskovez is suspended. On the counter, Lukas Hutecek - whose fitness was questioned prior to this match - shows he's fine, by scoring. Hungary lead 13:12.

15:48

Tactical changes from Ales Pajovic are paying off; he brings Tobias Wagner, who was so key in the draw with Spain, on in a seven-on-six attack and Wagner promptly scores. It's a two-goal game and Austria are starting to get the measure of Hungary.

15:44

Chema Rodriguez is playing around with his offensive line, but Austrian goalkeeper Constantin Möstl is finding a little more success against the Hungarian shots and makes a good save. On the counterattack Ales Pajovic calls a timeout as Austria trail 5:8.

15:35

The Hungarians' defensive skill is proving immensely difficult for the Austrians to crack and it's taken them over four minutes to score - Nikola Bilyk netting first. Hungary lead 3:1.

15:30

Throw off in Cologne!

15:23

Have you made your match predictions for this game and the later ones? Don't forget there are daily prizes up for grabs for the top predictions, as well as the longer game.

Predict through the Home of Handball app!

15:15

If Hungary beat Austria in this game it'll be the first time they've won four games at an EHF EURO. But Austria are riding a wave of positivity and it would be unwise to rule them out. 

Follow the game here: Hungary vs Austria

15:00

The LANXESS arena is getting busier - the first throw-off is just 30 minutes away!

14:40

Croatia have had a good tournament so far and they look relaxed and ready in this reel of their journey to Cologne.

14:27

It snowed heavily in Cologne yesterday and through the night and on arrival the French team had a bit of fun!

14:04

With Lukas Hutecek and Boris Zivkovic both suffering niggles after Austria's draw with Spain, head coach Ales Pajovic has drafted in backs Elias Kofler and Lukas Schweighofer as reinforcements for the team. Neither are as experienced in national team matches as Hutecek and Zivkovic, but having the ability to rotate against the powerful Hungarians could be important for Austria.

13:38

It's about two hours until the first match throws off in the LANXESS arena in Cologne, after the teams travelled here from their respective preliminary round venues yesterday. Hungary did a bit of training yesterday evening after arriving.

12:45

Fastest shot of the championship so far? Well, that would be Bodgan Radivojevic of Serbia, with this rocket at almost 130 kilometres an hour.

12:23

Are you wondering what’s behind France’s unbeaten run until now? Today’s stat of the day might have an answer. The French team has the lowest number of suspension minutes per game, so let’s see if they can continue with the same pace in the main round as well!

11:54

Austria have been one of the biggest surprises so far, managing to eliminate last edition’s runners-up Spain, remain unbeaten in the preliminary round and reach the main round groups. The journey is only getting more difficult from now on, but the Austrians are confident they can continue to make a good impression. Take a look at their EHF EURO 2024 story. 

11:27

Nikola Karabatic can end his outstanding handball career with another important achievement - grabbing the first spot in the all-time top scorers list at the Men's EHF EURO. The French back had 279 goals at the beginning of the 2024 edition, but added five more in the preliminary round, leading him to a total of 284. This makes him just four goals shy of the current top scorer, Iceland’s Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson (288).

11:00

Participating at an EHF EURO event is an important milestone for every handball player and Samir Bellahcene is no exception. In previous years, he used to follow the competition from the comfort of his own home, but in 2024 he finally saw his dream come true. Read more about the French goalkeeper’s incredible journey in the past year, including his first matches for the national team and joining the German powerhouse THW Kiel.

10:25

We start the day in Cologne, as the legendary LANXESS arena is getting ready for the main round matches in group I. Six nations start their main round journey today, as Hungary, Austria, France, Croatia, Iceland and hosts Germany all hope to reach the final round. We just have to wait and see which EHF EURO 2024 teams will remain in the arena’s history books.

10:00

Day 2 of the main round has dawned over a snowy Germany, and it's time for group I to enter the fray. This group is finely poised, as France and Hungary each have two points, Croatia and Austria one, and Iceland and Germany zero. With the latter teams set to play each other this evening, the standings will certainly all change by the end of the day.

Let's start with the day preview!