Wagner best scorer

ÖHB men get last-second draw in Switzerland

Tobias Wagner was the best ÖHB scorer with eight goals.(Bild: GEPA)

Three days after their successful start to the European Championship qualifiers, Austria's handball men followed up with a 29:29 (12:12) draw against Switzerland in Schaffhausen on Sunday.

After a hard-fought game, oldie Janko Bozovic scored three seconds before the end in a dramatic final phase to secure a point that could prove to be important in the final reckoning.

As expected, Austria had a tougher time against the Swiss than last Thursday in their 31:28 win over Turkey in Bregenz. However, after trailing 0:3 and 4:7 (15th), they worked their way back and put up a close fight against the 21st-placed team from the last European Championship. It almost seemed lost at the end, with Austria trailing 26:28 two minutes before the end. Bozovic's uncompromising commitment finally secured the draw.

"That can't happen to us"
"That shows the character of the team," said center Tobias Wagner, the ÖHB's top scorer with eight goals. However, he was annoyed about the many missed chances in the first half. "That can't happen to us." Team boss Ales Pajovic was satisfied after a "tough game", even if it was only three points from the opening games instead of the four he had hoped for. In the table, they are behind Germany (4 points) and ahead of Switzerland (1) and Turkey (0).

The next big task for Mykola Bilyk and Co. is the World Cup in Croatia, Denmark and Norway, which begins on January 14, 2025. The European Championship qualifiers continue with a double-header against Germany in March 2025.