Fierce Resistance to Portugal: Defeat by Three Goals

(Patria) - The Dragons played a brilliant match today against Portugal in the second round of Group D at the European Championship.

In the opening minutes, the Dragons managed to keep pace, responding to every Portuguese goal in kind. However, after the score reached 4:4, Paula Pereira's players went on a 3-0 run to make it 4:7 and then maintained that difference (5:8, 6:9).

But then the Bosnia and Herzegovina selection tightened their ranks in the defensive segment, which paid off. They responded with a 3-0 run, and a goal by goalkeeper Grahovac from the full length of the court four minutes before the break leveled the score at 10:10.

Nevertheless, they conceded two quick goals (10:12), but Panić reduced the deficit, and the half ended with a score of 11:12.

Immediately after the break, Bosnia and Herzegovina stormed into the second half. They created a new 3-0 run for a turnaround, with goals from Prce and Haseljić giving them a 14:12 lead, their first of the match!

Goalkeeper Nebojša Grahovac also got into form, and everything seemed great in those moments.

However, Portugal returned to the match primarily due to mistakes by Bilal Šuman's players and hasty passes. Pereira's players created another 3-0 run for a new lead (14:15), and then after another one-goal advantage for Bosnia and Herzegovina (16:15), they strung together a 5-0 run to lead 20:16 in the 47th minute.

With ten minutes to go, the Portuguese went up to a high 17:22, and then had 18:23, primarily thanks to the incredible Pedro Portela who scored eight consecutive goals!

The Portuguese handball players somehow managed to maintain the difference until the end. Our boys fought like lions, managing to reduce the deficit to 24:26 two minutes before the end, but that was all. Portugal celebrated with a 27:24 victory.

After the second defeat at the European Championship, the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team players are left with only pure theory to hope for advancement to the second round.