The Hungarian national team defeated the world champion and Olympic silver medalist French team 25-24 on Sunday in the bronze match of the Hungarian-Austrian-Swiss European Women's Handball Championship in Vienna.
The team of national team captain Vladimir Golovin got off to a great start, they were a worthy opponent of their better rival both in defense and attack, leading by one goal at the break. The Hungarian team played aggressively and well in the second half as well, and won by one goal in an intense final game.
In the last five minutes, with Hungary leading 23-22, the French were able to play with superior numbers, but after an unsuccessful attack, Klujber ran back and knocked the ball out in front of the empty goal, and then sold a seven-meter shot on the other side. The fate of the bronze medal was decided in the last minute, there was no answer to Viktória Győri-Lukács' goal.
This was the 58th match between the two teams, and from the Hungarian point of view, the balance is now 32 wins, two draws and 24 losses.
Klujber, who leads the goalscoring list with 60 goals and was voted the best player of the match, has a good chance of winning the top scorer title, as the closest player to him is Henny Reistad, who played in the final with the Norwegian team and was voted the best player of the year last year, with 42 goals.
The Hungarian national team was involved in the third-place playoff for the fifth time and, after 1998, 2004 and 2012, won the fourth bronze medal in its history at the continental competition.
MTI
Cover image: The Hungarian players cheering from the bench played for the third place of the European Women's Handball Championship in the match between France and Hungary in the Wiener Stadthalle on December 15, 2024.
MTI/Zsolt Czeglédi
