Odriozola, Garciandia and Peciña go to the quarterfinals after beating Slovenia (26-31)

Euskaraz irakurri: Odriozola, Garciandia eta Peciña final-Laurdenetara passes dira Esloveniari irabazita (26-31)

The Spanish handball team of which the Basques are part Kauldi Odriozola, Imanol Garciandia and Iñaki Peciña has certified his qualification to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Poland and Sweden when imposed this Friday by 26-31 to Slovenia.

Aware that the key to defeating the Balkan team was to prevent the Slovenians from providing the necessary speed and fluidity to their attacking game, the Spanish players used themselves conscientiously in defense from the beginning. After the first ten minutes of play, the rivals had only managed to score a static goal.

Kauldi Odriozola surprised time and time again with his brilliant careers. Easy goals that allowed the Spaniards to position themselves with an income of four goals on the scoreboard (2-6) after nine minutes of play.

Jordi Ribera’s men could not maintain the difference before the irruption of the goalkeeper Urban Lejak, who, with his interventions, allowed Slovenia to get fully into the game.

With the goal secured, the Balkan team managed to equalize the contest, placing themselves ahead on the scoreboard (14-13) to less than four minutes to reach the break.

In the second half, Spain was forced to constantly score to keep up, placing themselves four goals ahead (20-24).

The defensive improvement allowed the Hispanics to be just over eleven minutes from the conclusion with a maximum income of five goals (21-26) that seemed to pave his triumph.

A victory that was ensured by goalkeeper Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas with two saves and winger Dani Dujshebaev with two goals.

Data sheet

26 – Slovenia: Lesjak; Janc (5), Dolenec (7, 4p), Bombac (3, 1p), Vlah (1p), Kodrin (2) and Blagotinsek (1) -initial team- Baznik (ps), Cehte (-), Gaber (1 ), Horzen (-), Mazej (-), Ovnicek (2), Makuc (-), Mackovsek (3) and Novak (1)

31 – Spain: Perez de Vargas; Odriozola (6, 2p), Dani Dujshebaev (5), Gideón Guardiola (1), Peciña (-), Casado (3) and Ángel Fernández (1) -initial team- Corrales (ps), Maqueda (1), Alex Dujshebaev (3), Solé (4, 1p), Figueras (4), Cañellas (1), Valera (2), Sánchez-Migallón (-) and Dani Fernández (-)

referees: Kurtagic and Wetterwik (SWE). They excluded Blagotinsek, Dolenec, Mazej and coach Uros Zorman for Slovenia for two minutes; and Sánchez-Migallón (2) and Gideón Guardiola, for Spain.