Hungary won 25-24 against world champion and Olympic silver winner France in today’s match for the bronze at the 2024 EURO Women’s Handball Championship. The last time a Hungarian women’s handball team could secure a medal was 12 years ago.
Hungary’s women’s handball bronze
According to index.hu the Hungarian team fought fiercely against France in the Wiener Stadthalle in Austria’s capital. Austria, Hungary and Switzerland co-hosted the championships. The matches in Hungary were held in Debrecen.
The victory did not come out of the blue since the Hungarian team could defeat the French in Toulon on 24 October in a friendly match (30-27). That was the first time after 14 years that the Hungarian team overcame the French. Thankfully, the “new trend” continued today.
Hungary is considered to be a successful nation in women’s handball. We already won the world championships once and the EHF EURO title 14 years ago. Moreover, the Hungarian team bagged altogether 16 medals. Hungary’s team raised the trophy in 2000, joining the club of only five nations that have won the Women’s EHF EURO.
Norway could only defeat Hungary in the semi-final after key goalkeeper Szemerey was sidelined with a minor injury. Thankfully, she could return for today’s match.
Match highlights
The official website of the competition highlighted the following from the bronze match:
“The goalkeepers stood out in the first half in particular, with France’s Laura Glauser and Hungary’s Zsófi Szemerey saving at over 40 per cent in that period; while Glauser came off with 11 saves at 35 per cent for Hatadou Sako at the 50-minute mark, Szemerey counted 13 stops and was key in crunch time.
France opened the first two-goal distance of the game at 5:3 just past the 10-minute mark, before Hungary took the upper hand, always scoring first or leading, from the end of the first quarter of the match until the final buzzer.
With an assist from EHF EURO 2024 All-star Team right back Klujber to a goal from All-star right wing Gyori-Lukács, Hungary created the first three-goal scoreline at 10:7 in the 25th minute, but France came back for a difference of one at half-time.
Hungary again created a temporary three-goal advantage early in the second half and kept the edge as a thrilling match unfolded, but when the final 10 minutes began, it was still anyone’s game at 20:20.
Klujber’s nine goals took her overall tally at the EHF EURO 2024 to 60, seeming to cement her place in first on the top scorer list — but the individual title can only be confirmed beyond doubt after the final between Norway and Denmark.”
Here is a highlights video:
“It’s almost impossible to describe how I feel right now. This is the best Christmas present I have ever gotten. And I’m so proud of our team. We work really hard and today we went and fought from the first second to the last one. I think that the key was our team spirit”, Petra Vámos, Hungary’s centre-back, told the press after the bronze match.
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