Netherlands edge Georgia to end EHF EURO on a high

GROUP E

NETHERLANDS VS GEORGIA 31:26 (18:15)

H2H: 3-0-1
Top scorers: Ivar Stavast 8/9 (NED); Giorgi Tskhovrebadze 11/17 (GEO)
Goalkeeper saves: Jorick Pol 8/22, Matthias Rex Dorgelo 1/13 (NED); Zurab Tsintsadze 6/36, David Nikabadze 1/2 (GEO)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Reinier Taboada (NED)

• even though Georgia produced few turnovers, goalkeeper Zurab Tsintsadze kept them level with the Netherlands in the first 10 minutes (6:6)
• the back players were running the show — centre back Ivar Stavast netted almost half of Dutch goals, just like Georgia's right back Giorgi Tskhovrebadze as the clock hit the minute 20
• the Netherlands spurred a 5:0 run between the 24th and 28th minutes, making a turnaround with an aggressive, deep 3-3 defence to have a break at half-time
• the change of the goalkeeper proved a good move for the Netherlands; Jorick Pol was at 43 per cent save efficiency to push his side even further, to a seven-goal lead in 15 minutes of the second half
• by the end of the game, Georgia managed it to narrow the gap down to five goals, suffering a similar defeat to their meeting two years ago when the Dutch won 34:29

Top scorers shine again

The Netherlands finished their fourth EHF EURO on a high, beating Georgia after a strong second half performance. Georgia, who made the handball world talk about their progress, will therefore leave their second participation without a win. Still, both sides can be proud of their teams with particular individuals stepping into the spotlight.

As throughout the tournament, the attacking power once again fell on one of the leading figures for each side. For the Netherlands, Rutger ten Velde continued to set the tone, finishing his EHF EURO 2026 campaign as the Dutch top scorer with 24 goals, just as he was at the previous championship when he scored 45 where the Netherlands reached the main round. Not only that, he became the Netherlands’ all-time top scorer at the European championship with an overall tally of 81 career goals.

Georgia once again looked to Giorgi Tskhovrebadze, who also concluded this EHF EURO as his team's most reliable attacking option with 29 goals, building on the 21 he netted at the last EURO.

Photos © kolektiff images