Austria can’t believe it
“Childish mistakes” lead Spain to the European Championship debacle
January 17, 2024, 8:20 a.m
Austria’s handball players pull off a really big surprise at the European Championships: in a dramatic final phase, the underdog throws co-favorites Spain out of the tournament. Their coach then finds clear words and calls for a restart.
From the point of view of Spanish national coach Jordi Ribera, the disappointing preliminary round exit at the European Handball Championship could be the decisive impetus for a new start. “We have to analyze this because we will soon have a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games,” said the 60-year-old after the 33:33 draw against Austria. Under his leadership, Spain won the European Championship title twice and most recently won silver. “This can be the start of a new generation. We have to raise the team’s spirits and want to be prepared for the next tournaments.” It was only in November 2023 that Ribera’s contract was extended until 2028.
Against Austria, the Spaniards had to cope with the red card against Alex Dujshebaev (28th). Augustín Casado was also injured. “We don’t want to cry because we still had the chance,” said Ribera, who blamed “childish mistakes” for the elimination. “That’s unacceptable at this level. It’s a sad, a bad moment and I take responsibility. But I’ll try to get the players’ eyes moving forward again.” At the start, Spain clearly lost to Croatia with 29:39. Only thanks to the 36:24 win against Romania did the Iberians still have any hope.
The emotional situation was completely different for the Austrians, who could hardly believe the sensation: “That was unbelievable. We believed in it. We showed the whole world: Austria is alive,” said Robert Weber. “We’re going to Kölle, who would have thought that. It’s unbelievable, I have to process it first.” Eight seconds before the end, Janko Bozovic scored the decisive goal to equalize. Spain took another timeout, but could no longer counter. After the final siren, the Austrians’ celebration of Bundesliga star Nikola Bilyk knew no bounds.