Results from the Olympics men’s handball action on Saturday, August 13 featuring all 12 teams in action
On Saturday, the 2016 Rio Olympics men’s handball competition waged on after a day off. Day 8 of Rio 2016 was a big day in the competition as it featured the next-to-last slate of matches in the preliminary round. Subsequently, a victory could mean a better seed while a loss could mean a worse seed or even elimination. With the stakes raised, the action commenced and didn’t disappoint.
Arguably the two most impressive teams in the handball competition faced off to start Day 8. Germany and Slovenia waged war on the court and the results were riveting. At the final whistle, though, it was Germany edging out Slovenia by three goals. Another big matchup, this one out of Group A, occupied the court next with Croatia vs France. This match played out all the way down to the wire with the lead changing numerous times. Croatia ultimately found a way to surge ahead when it mattered, though, picking up the one-goal win.
The close matches didn’t subside there as the next game of the day was also a nail-biter. Denmark had disappointed at times in the Olympics while Qatar had been inconsistent. They both delivered the goods on Saturday, but it was the talent of the Danish that proved to be too powerful, but only just with a one-goal victory. Still keeping things close, Egypt and Brazil appeared incredibly evenly matched throughout the two halves. In the end, they were too evenly matched as their contest ended in a 27-27 tie, splitting the two points at a crucial juncture.
Sweden and Poland continued the trend of matches going down to the wire as they jockeyed for the lead for all 60 minutes. A late Poland push gave them the lead and they hung on for the 25-24 victory to push them into the top four of Group B. Not to be different from every other game, Argentina and Tunisia clawed to try and stay relevant in the competition against one another. In the end, Argentina brought just a bit more firepower and earned a two-goal win on Day 8.
With just one match remaining in the preliminary round, there’s still drama that could play out. France, Denmark, and Croatia are 1-2-3 in Group A and are all secured spots in the next round. Qatar currently sits in fourth, but only one point separates them from Argentina now. In Group B, Germany and Slovenia hold first and second place and spots in the next round. Brazil and Poland hold the other two advancing spots, but could still be caught by Egypt.