Handball · International
Portugal edges Slovenia 28–27 in an opening EURO 2000 group match
Portugal opened its Men’s EHF EURO 2000 campaign with a 28–27 victory over Slovenia in Rijeka on 21 January. The teams were level at 12–12 at half-time, before Portugal outscored Slovenia 16–15 after the interval. The narrow win supplied two points at the beginning of a preliminary group that also included Sweden and Russia.
2000-01-21 · Rijeka
Event date:
The story
Portugal opened its Men’s EHF EURO 2000 campaign with a 28–27 victory over Slovenia in Rijeka on 21 January. The teams were level at 12–12 at half-time, before Portugal outscored Slovenia 16–15 after the interval. The narrow win supplied two points at the beginning of a preliminary group that also included Sweden and Russia.
How it unfolded
Eduardo Coelho led Portugal with six goals and Ricardo Costa added five; Rui Rocha and Viktor Tchikoulaev contributed four apiece. Zoran Lubej scored eight for Slovenia, supported by five each from Aleš Pajovič and Iztok Puc. Portugal missed its only seven-metre throw, while Slovenia converted three of six. The official attendance was 2,000.
The wider picture
Portugal followed this result with a win over Iceland the next day. Slovenia instead faced Russia, losing its second fixture before recovering against Denmark. Both Portugal and Slovenia eventually finished the five-match preliminary round with two victories and four points. Slovenia ranked third in Group B and Portugal fourth, sending them to different placement matches.
Period by period
| Half / final | Portugal | Slovenia |
|---|---|---|
| First half | 12 | 12 |
| Second half | 16 | 15 |
| Final | 28 | 27 |
Sources
Check the original record.
Open the governing body or organiser’s publication for the underlying result, decision or tournament update.