The Icelandic national team in men’s handball bid their countrymen farewell with a 37-27 victory over Portugal in a Reykjavík yesterday. It was their final practice game in Iceland before the European Championship in Austria.
Although the game ended with a difference of ten goals, the Icelandic team let down its guard a few times and Portugal managed to even the score.
“The offense was very good although we had many unused opportunities in the first half. But we scored 37 goals and I can’t complain about that,” Iceland’s coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson told Fréttabladid.
“The defense wasn’t good enough either in the first half. They managed to break us apart too much and it wasn’t until the last 20 minutes that we had the defense in control,” the coach added.
Gudmundsson said the game had been valuable lesson. “Now I just have to choose the group which will go to Austria and that will be difficult.”
Iceland will play two more practice games in France on Saturday and Sunday before the championship begins on Tuesday, when Iceland will play against Serbia.
Click here to read more about the Icelandic handball team, who won the silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
