Germany dominate final to claim M19 EHF EURO 2021 crown

Germany claimed the Men's 19 EHF EURO 2021 title in Croatia on Sunday evening in Varazdin with a dominant 34:20 victory over hosts Croatia.

Germany, who were the last remaining unbeaten team in the competition, took control in the last 10 minutes of the first half and raced away from their opponents in the second half.

Meanwhile, in the bronze medal match, Spain secured third place with a convincing 37:28 win over Slovenia.

FINAL

Croatia vs Germany 20:34 (14:19)

• Germany finished the first half strongly and extended their lead to 25:15 in the 41st minute 
• Renars Uscins and Tim Freihöfer both scored six goals for Germany in the final. However, Justus Fischer received the player of the match award for Germany
• Croatia goalkeeper Matej Mandic made nine saves and was named as their best player

In the early stages of the M19 EHF EURO 2021 final, it appeared as though the match might be settled through a scoring battle between two right backs: Croatia’s David Jurisic and Germany’s Renars Uscins. With Jurisic and Uscins both scoring three goals each, the teams remained level at 5:5 after 10 minutes.

As the first half developed, Croatia’s errors in attack allowed Germany to capitalise through fast breaks. Indeed, a fast break goal from Florian Kranzmann gave Germany their first three-goal lead of the final, 11:8, after 19 minutes.

While Croatia reduced Germany's lead to two goals in the 26th minute, the final moments of the first half provided Croatia with a crushing blow. With Germany leading 18:14 as half-time approached, Justus Fischer's shot was saved but Tim Freihöfer's rebound beat the buzzer. 

In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Germany's defence thwarted any comeback attempt from Croatia, who trailed by 10 goals with 15 minutes remaining. With Tim Freihöfer, Nico Schöttle and Robert Krass among the players scoring freely, Germany's lead reached its highest point of 14 goals with 30 seconds remaining.

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH

Slovenia vs Spain 28:37 (13:17)

• after taking control of the match with a 3:0 run towards the end of the first half, Spain powered clear of Slovenia early in the second half
• left wing Arnau Fernandez was named as Spain's player of the match after scoring 11 goals from 13 shots
• Mitja Janc, Slovenia's top scorer at the M19 EHF EURO 2021, contributed six assists but only scored two goals from seven shots  

When Slovenia met Spain on Tuesday in group 1 of the main round, a high-scoring match ended 37:37. After 15 minutes of Sunday’s bronze medal encounter, a game of a similar ilk seemed somewhat unlikely. With goalkeepers Denis Strasek (Slovenia) and Roberto Domenech (Spain) both making several impressive stops, the score was level at 6:6 midway through the first half.

While Spain left wing Arnau Fernandez scored five goals from six shots in the first 20 minutes, centre back Jan Gurri’s performance spearheaded the creation of a decisive break in Spain's favour before half-time. Jan Gurri’s fifth goal gave Spain a 14:10 lead in the 26th minute, and Daniel Serrano’s goal six seconds before the buzzer ensured that Spain had a four-goal advantage after 30 minutes.

If Slovenia were hoping for a comeback in the second half, a combination of scoring only one goal in 10 minutes and Tarvik Mlivic’s third suspension effectively ended their medal aspirations. Javier Rodriguez’s fast break goal in the 38th minute extended Spain’s lead to eight goals for the first time (22:14). As Spain's attack converted 69 per cent of their shots to score 20 goals in the second half, they completed a resounding nine-goal victory.  

Other results

Sunday

Placement Matches 5-8

Denmark vs Portugal 31:27 (14:12)
Sweden vs Iceland 26:24 (11:11)

Saturday

Placement Matches 9-12

Hungary vs France 35:25 (17:13)
Norway vs Italy 31:24 (16:8)

Placement Matches 13-16

Israel vs Serbia 25:27 (12:16)
Russia vs Austria 31:24 (11:13)

Final rankings

1st Germany
2nd Croatia
3rd Spain
4th Slovenia
5th Denmark
6th Portugal
7th Sweden
8th Iceland
9th Hungary
10th France
11th Norway
12th Italy
13th Serbia
14th Israel
15th Russia
16th Austria

All-star Team
Goalkeeper: David Späth (Germany)
Left wing: Ivan Barbic (Croatia)
Left back: Elliot Stenmalm (Sweden)
Centre back: Mitja Janc (Slovenia)
Right back: Renars Uscins (Germany)
Right wing: Francisco Costa (Portugal)
Line player: Javier Rodriguez (Spain)
Best defender: Mislav Obradovic (Croatia)
MVP: Mitja Janc (Slovenia)
Top scorers: Elliot Stenmalm and Mitja Janc (61 goals)