On Saturday evening in Zrenjanin, Serbia turned what seemed to be a distant dream of a 12th consecutive Women's EHF EURO spot into reality with a 28:22 win against Iceland.
After a strong game throughout the 60 minutes, Serbia extended their superb home streak and confirmed their place at the Women's EHF EURO 2022.
GROUP 6
Serbia vs Iceland 28:22 (19:15)
- after dominating the match from start to finish, Serbia extended their unbeaten home streak in the EHF EURO qualifiers to 17 games
- the hosts started with a 3:0 run and never looked back, despite a 3:0 run from Iceland which tied the game for the first time in the 18th minute (9:9)
- left back Jovana Stoiljkovic enjoyed a career-best outing in the EHF EURO qualifiers, scoring seven goals, after scoring 20 goals in Serbia's previous five games
- goalkeeper Jovana Risovic had another amazing performance against Iceland, with 14 saves for a 40 per cent efficiency
- Serbia extended their consecutive run of appearances at the EHF EURO to 12 editions, dating back to 2000, yet their best result was fourth place in 2012, when they hosted the tournament
Serbia use experience to secure crucial win
Iceland were dreaming about their first appearance at the Women's EHF EURO since 2012 after their 23:21 win against Serbia in October 2021, but the painful loss against Turkey in March left them facing a must-win situation on Saturday evening.
Serbia's superior experience could be seen in Zrenjanin, where their top guns performed admirably, while a strong start left Iceland in disarray. It was not a perfect match for Serbia, but they clinched the win that catapulted them into the final tournament of the EHF EURO for the 12th consecutive time.
