Handball Dragons seek victory over the Netherlands tonight in Mannheim

(Patria) - The Handball Dragons will play their second round match of the European Championship against the Netherlands tonight at 6 PM in the German city of Mannheim.

At the start of the tournament, they were defeated by Sweden 29:20, while the Netherlands opened their campaign with a 34:29 victory over Georgia.

While few expected a sensational result against the reigning European champions, the good performance of Irfan Smajlagić's selected players in certain parts of the match against the powerful opponent is definitely encouraging, writes Faktor.

However, after Sweden, the first problems arrived. The tournament is over for injured pivot Benjamin Burić, and Marko Panjić is ill, making his appearance tonight questionable. This would be a major handicap for our national team.

From the BiH camp, they warn that the Dragons likely face a tougher match than the one against Sweden.

The Dutch play similarly to the Swedes. They are fast, spread out, and what is very important - well-coordinated.

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Rukometaši BiH poraženi od Švedske

(Patria) - Rukometna reprezentacija Bosne i Hercegovine otvorila je nastup na Evropskom prvenstvu u Njemačkoj porazom protiv favorizirane Švedske. Poraženi smo rezultatom 29:20, ali rukometaši su prikazali hrabru partiju protiv aktuelnih prvaka E

- We expect a much more demanding match than the one against Sweden. The Netherlands national team has good runners, they will see their chances there.

Given that our strongest weapon is defense, they will try to impose a fast pace. We must be aware of that, be responsible and smart, and try to bring the game to six-on-six - said Damir Doborac, a member of the Dragons' coaching staff.

BiH handball players warn about Dutch representative Luc Steins. Igor Mandić describes the PSG player as one of the best players in the world, who controls the game for 60 minutes from the center back position, is the engine of the team, and everything starts from him.

They are aware in the BiH team that a defeat likely means the end of dreams of advancing to the second round, while a victory against the Netherlands ahead of the match with Georgia would open the door wide to the second round, which would be a historic success for the Dragons at major tournaments.

- To be or not to be, we move on, or we go home. That creates a certain pressure. We have nothing to lose, we know what awaits us. And certainly a tough opponent awaits us. They play a similar handball to Sweden, fast and explosive.

We will try to slow that down as much as possible and use our greatest strength - said Dino Hamidović.