The Portuguese handball team is on the launch pad for its fifth participation in a World Championship in its history. In the second European qualifying phase, to which they had direct access after participating in the last European Championship, Portugal entered in devastating fashion, with a clear triumph over Bosnia and Herzegovina (29-19), which guarantees them a generous margin for the second leg match on Sunday.
In Guimarães, a stage where they had already achieved a historic victory over France, in 2019 (33-27), on the way to qualifying for the European Championship, the national team imposed their handball from an early age. And Portuguese superiority is easily perceived by this fact: throughout the match, Bosnia never managed to have an advantage.
During the first half, Portugal managed a margin of four goals for long periods and it was with this difference that the break was reached (14-10), as a result of a shooting efficiency of 56%, compared to 45% for the Bosnians.
With Pedro Portela in good shape in attack (he finished with six goals, one more than Rui Silva), the team coached by Paulo Jorge Pereira raised the level in the second half. He shot slightly less (25 against 23 shots) but was more effective (65%) and moved away from the scoreboard, naturally, closing the score with a generous 10 goals advantage — the second largest, in fact, this year. play-off.
In 2020, the last time Portugal and Bosnia had faced each other, the national triumph had been achieved by a three-goal difference (27-24). Now, the Portuguese team will travel to Tuzla, for the second leg of the tie (Sunday, at 4pm), with a dozen goals to manage. And with the 2025 World Cup on the horizon.
