With a 34:32 win against Sweden in the M18 EHF EURO 2022 final, Spain became the first country in history to complete the EHF EURO double in two Younger Age Categories – M18 and M20 – in the same year.
“Los Hispanos” had previously won the gold medal at the M20 EHF EURO 2022 in July, after another nail-biting final against Portugal, 37:35.
Germany won the bronze medal match against Hungary, who suffered their third loss in the competition, 29:22. Germany have now won six medals at the M18 EHF EURO, one fewer than Spain and Sweden, who have won seven.
- a 5:1 run late in the second half, spurred by three goals from Victor Romero Holguin, was the pivotal moment of the game, as Spain secured a three-goal lead that they never relinquished until the end
- Sweden’s Axel Månsson, the All-Star centre back of the tournament, produced one of the best-ever performances in the final of the M18 EHF EURO, scoring 13 goals, but Sweden could not hold the advantage they had in the second half
- Spain had previously won the tournament in 1994, having lost other two finals, and with two gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals, they are now in third place in the all-time medal table. Germany are still the team with the most titles — three
- in the bronze medal match, Germany controlled the game against Hungary, winning 29:22, courtesy of six goals from David More, the All-star left wing
- Faroe Islands' Oli Mittun became the player with the most goals scored in a single edition of the M18 EHF EURO — 80 — earning him the MVP and top scorer awards
Amazing feature for Spain
It was a historic tournament for Spain, who delivered a total masterclass throughout the matches played in Montenegro, with another golden generation being born on the courts of the Verde Complex and the Moraca Sports Centre in Podgorica.
“Los Hispanos” had a tournament for the ages, winning all of their seven games played, scoring an average of 35.4 goals per game and only having one game where they did not score at least 30 goals, the last one from the main round against Denmark, where they scored 29.
Boasting two players in the All-Star team, right wing Unciti Gonzalez and right back Djordje Cikusa Jilicic, As they proved once again they are a true pipeline of talent, Spain completed a historic double under the eyes of the coach from the senior men's team, Jordi Ribera, in just under one month.