Poland book EHF EURO ticket thanks to late comeback

GROUP 8 
Highlight Match: Italy vs Poland 29:31 (15:13) 

Damian Przytula was Poland’s hero in the highlight match: Scoring the last two goals of the match, he secured a lose and fortunate win to qualify Poland for their 11^th ticket to an EHF EURO final tournament. With six points and wins in both their direct encounters against Italy they cannot be passed by the Italians, who remain on four points. Their last match against bottom-ranked side Latvia is without meaning, as they also cannot pass top side France (10 points) anymore.  

After taking an 11:10 lead at minute 21 in the first half Italy held the lead until a 28:28 draw with five minutes left in the match.  Italy had never been down, but in the end lacked some power to withstand the heat against the more experienced Polish side. Paris top star, Kamil Syprzak and Kielce’s top score,r Szymon Sicko - both playing in the EHF Champions League for years - were the keys for the comeback, combining for 14 of 31 goals. But, when Pablo Marrochi scored his 11^th goal two minutes before the end for to make it 29:29, Italy could still hope for at least a points - before they missed two shots and Przytula scored twice. 

Key facts: Italy's only participation in the EFH Euro was in 1998, when they hosted the final tournament. After beating Latvia twice in rounds 3 and 4, they were close to taking their third victory, which would have put Poland under a huge pressure and two points behind Italy. Besides Pablo Marrochi, goalkeeper Domenico Ebner was a cornerstone for the hosts, saving 14 shots. Now, the chances for Italy have decreased dramatically, as they play their last match at unbeaten leader and current Olympic champions France on Sunday. Sometimes only two minutes separate great joy and tears. A bitter night for Italy, despite a great fight.