Slovenian handball players before the first match: “We feel a great responsibility”

“We’re going game by game,” are the most common words from the Slovenian national team camp before leaving for Zagreb. Slovenia will play the opening match at 18:00, when they will face Cuba. The latter is considered a kind of unknown to the European national teams, which are not used to a large number of matches with similar rivals.

In the group stage, the Slovenians still have matches against the Cape Verde Islands on Saturday and against Iceland on Monday. Slovenia and Iceland are favored in Group G, so at least at first glance, the start of the WC schedule seems suitable for timing the form before the second part of the championship. Namely, the best three national teams from each of the eight groups advance there.

The Slovenians were still looking for their form in the preparatory period, they celebrated against Algeria (37:32) and Qatar (38:30), and on Friday in Zagreb, they received an earful against the local Croatians (25:33). This did not cause panic in the Slovenian camp, but it made it clear that the team still has a lot of work to do.

“We’ve been building a name for a while. In recent years, we’ve been showing good performances and we’re mostly consistent. There’s sure to be a bad game and that’s when you have to learn the most. The public expects something more, but we have to stay humble, play game by game. So we must act. All eyes and thoughts are on Cuba.” he said before leaving for Zagreb from the train station in Ljubljana Domain Makucwho was not at the Olympic Games in Paris due to poor fitness after a serious knee injury, but after the November national team action, he especially praises the atmosphere in the dressing room.

“The easiest thing in life is to hunt, but the hardest thing is to stay at a certain level”

Slovenian coach Uroš Zorman compared to last year’s Olympic tournament in France, where after a narrow semi-final defeat against the Danes and in the match for third place against the Spaniards, they won an ungrateful fourth place, they aired out their squad a bit. He did not include the pillars of past bands among the passengers for Zagreb Dean Bombač, Jure Dolenc in Matej Gabra. In the absence of three seasoned players, he still has a strong playing staff available. In three preparatory games, they defeated Algeria with 37:32 and Qatar with 38:30, and lost against Croatia with 25:33.

“We feel a great responsibility. We know how these fluctuations are with us. Usually, after a successful competition, the next one can be critical. We have to be aware of what we did until today and where we were some time ago. The easiest thing in life is to hunt, but the hardest is to stay at some level,” says Zorman, who adds: “I would be satisfied with the progress in our game in Croatia, in this segment I would like to take a step forward compared to the Olympic Games. Last year’s performances in Paris and Lille brought a lot of responsibility, so in Zagreb it will be necessary to grit our teeth even more and show heart and a brave performance. I hope that we will grow as a team day by day.”

Although they feel responsibility and self-confidence, they do not predict a certain result: “We are not putting pressure on ourselves because of the medal, but of course we want it. The pressure is more because we know that we have done a lot in the past. We have the quality, the knowledge and we belong to this level,” he announced Miha Zarabecwho hopes for the loudest possible support from Slovenian fans in Zagreb.

Primary goal: reaching the quarterfinals

The main goal of the Slovenian national team, which after the World Championship two years ago in Sweden and Poland (10th place), last year’s European Championship in Germany (6th place) and the summer Olympic Games in Paris (4th place) will appear under the selectors’ mandate for the fourth time Zorman, is a place in the quarterfinals.

After the first part, the Slovenians would face the three best from Group H, in which Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt and Croatia play, in case of possible promotion. The main part of the competition will start on January 21, and the championship, which is hosted by Denmark and Norway in addition to Croatia, will last until February 2.

Expensive tickets

There is some ill will among Slovenian handball fans because of the inflated ticket prices for matches in the central hall in Zagreb. The cheapest ticket for a single day is 60 euros, as the upper ring of the Arena, where tickets would be significantly cheaper, will be closed. The Handball Association of Slovenia (RZS) agreed with the organizers some time ago for a package purchase of tickets for 85 euros for all three matches in the first part of the competition, but this campaign ended on December 15.

In the second part of the competition, tickets will be available at a more attractive price, as the organizers will also open the upper ring of the Zagreb Arena. For this type of ticket, it will be necessary to pay 40 euros in this part of the competition, 50 euros in the quarter-finals, and 60 euros in the semi-finals.