As expected, the ÖHB team was beaten by 26:34 (15:19) in the second leg of the World Cup play-off in Hafnarfjördur Iceland on Saturday. Austria had already lost the first leg in Bregenz by 30:34 against the big favorites and will only be spectators at the finals in January 2023 in Poland and Sweden.
Ales Pajovic’s team showed a good attacking performance against the world-class team in the first half. As on Wednesday, the Austrians played at eye level in the early stages and were mostly just in the lead. After 20 minutes (12:12) the Icelandic class prevailed. The Northern Europeans gradually pulled away and went into the half-time break with a four-goal lead.
The hosts used the suboptimal work of the Austrians in the backward movement and scored again and again with fast advances. Captain Aron Palmarsson, who used all seven throws in the first half, was outstanding. After the break, the Icelanders quickly increased their lead and finally got the World Cup ticket with ease.
The next challenge for the significantly younger ÖHB team is in October. From mid-October, qualifying for the 2024 European Championship against Ukraine, Romania and the Faroe Islands will be about one of the two promotion places. The four best of the eight third-placed teams also qualify for the finals in Germany.
Source: Nachrichten
