For Spain it was a successful revenge after being eliminated in the main round at the EHF EURO 2024 in Germany. For Austria it was not only the second defeat at the EHF EURO 2026, but they still have to wait for their first win under new head coach Iker Romero.
GROUP A
H2H: 3-1-15
Top scorers: Tobias Wagner 6/6 (Austria), Imanol Garciandia 4/6, Aleix Gómez 4/6 (both Spain)
Goalkeeper saves: Constantin Möstl 11/32, Leon Bergmann 0/5 (both Austria), Sergey Hernández 13/37, Ignacio Biosca 1/2 (both Spain)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Sergey Hernández (Spain)
- after Aleix Gómez's 100th EHF EURO goal, Spain took control as Austria played their seven-against-six strategy too risky and had too many mistakes in attack
- when Austria had a six-minute goalless run, Spain pulled ahead to 17:12, crowned by Sergey Hernández's goal in the empty net, as he was the best player in the first half with eight saves
- Spain waited patiently for their chances, scored from all positions and finished the first half with a 65 per cent efficiency in attack, and a well-deserved seven-goal advantage
- after the break, Austria started their comeback, backed by an incredible performance of goalkeeper Constantin Möstl, and reduced the gap to 20:24, as the Spaniards lacked the consequence and concentration from the first half
- but the two-time EHF EURO champions stayed strong in this period, as they improved in defence — and Hernández continued to be on fire, alongisde 11 court players who put their names on the scoresheet
World-class goalkeepers make a difference
When Spanish coach Jordi Ribera announced his squad for the EHF EURO 2026, it was a bit of a surprise that Rodrigo Corrales and Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas were missing. Corrales was already out last year, while Pérez de Vargas made his comeback in December after a severe knee injury in March — so he could have played.
Instead of these experienced world-class goalkeepers, he nominated a different world-class duo, spearheaded by EHF Champions League winner Sergey Hernández from SC Magdeburg. In the first match against Serbia (29:27), he was already a crucial factor, while HBC Nantes' Ignacio Biosca saved three penalties.
Against Austria, Hernández played an outstanding first half, being the key for the clear lead. In the end, Biosca underlined his role as a penalty save specialist with another block, but Hernández stood out with 13 saves — which brought him the Player of the Match award.
They were a better team than us today, they played a really good match and we didn't get intensity in defence like we did last game. I think Sergey Hernández saved every second ball of ours and it's difficult for us to win this game.
We are so happy and with the group that we have, we had to fight until the end in all the games and played against two really good teams already and now we are thinking about Germany.
