Holders Norway showed their desire to hang onto their Olympic crown as they swept into the final of the women’s handball on Thursday where a sky-high Montenegro, assured of the country’s first Games medal, await them.
The tiny Balkan state, only recognized officially as an Olympic nation in 2007, won their semi-final 27-26 against Spain to stand a chance at a first gold, a prospect which sent their fans into ecstasy in the stands.
Montenegro’s players promptly emptied their water bottles over teammates being interviewed amid their elation at the achievement.
Norway’s 5-million population, when compared to Montenegro’s 680,000, hardly makes them a giant, but the world, Olympic and European champions have had their feathers ruffled in London before finally flexing their muscles in a 31-25 win over South Korea.
Montenegro coach Dragan Adzic nodded confidently when asked if he had expected to reach the final and said his team had nothing to lose.
“Norway is the absolute favorite. They’re the best team because they’re champions of everything. We’ll do everything we can to surprise them,” he said with a glint in his eye.
However, their final opponents were irresistible from the off in the day’s first semi as they bounded joyfully around the court, streaking to victory and give a perfect response to a critical Norwegian media.
“It sent a message to the press that no one can mess with us and our morale, because it’s always on top,” Camilla Herrem said.
Herrem and her teammates lifted up their shirts after they scraped past Brazil in the last eight to reveal the words “Norges Lagand” (Norwegian Team Morale) to the assembled media and against Korea they showed they had the stomach for a fight.
Norway swarmed all over an overawed South Korea throughout, their coach Kang Jae-won saying his players had been affected by the frenzied atmosphere in the Basketball Arena.
While Norway coach Thorir Hergeirsson said that was a factor, he was more eager to speak about his team’s exploits.
“We have a dream and we still have a possibility to live out this dream,” the Icelander said.
His players, urged on by the majority of the 12,000 capacity arena, came out of their shells at the start of a match for the first time all tournament.
So breathless was the high-scoring first half, which ended 18-15, that the dizzy players walked into the wrong exit tunnel before they were redirected to the other side of the court.
With cow bells, more commonly heard on the ski slopes, ringing around the stadium, Norway made the new venue their own after the switch from the Copper Box on Wednesday following the quarter-finals.
Guided by world player of the year Heidi Loke they were lethal in front of goal, but it was goalkeeper Katrine Haraldsen who stole the show, earning praise from Hergeirsson.
“She’s been working and working all the days, and today she showed why she’s one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world,” he said.
Norway’s defense will need to be solid again to keep out tournament top-scorer Katarina Bulatovic, who stands taller than any of the Scandinavian team.
The teams meet at 7:30 GMT on Saturday after Spain, seeking a first women’s Olympic handball medal, take on twice-winners South Korea, who only once in seven previous Games appearances have finished outside the top three.
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
PINA BRACE: Claudia Pina scored in the 61st and 74th minutes, while Vicky Lopez added one as Spain notched their third victory in a final in the past four tournaments Claudia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled on Tuesday as Spain retained the UEFA Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 victory in the final’s second leg. Vicky Lopez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a 0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday. Spain were without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who broke her leg in training on Sunday. Lopez took Bonmati’s place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzalez swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save
RSS