In a re-match of the 2008 Olympic Games quarter final, the spectators saw two very different halves: the first, with Iceland overrunning its opponent, and the second, with Poland fighting hard to turn around the game.

Poland did not succeed in taking revenge for the lost game in Beijing, and Iceland clinched victory and celebrated its first-ever bronze medal at a EURO.

Before the game, Poland seemed to be the more motivated team, announcing that they would do their utmost to bring home the bronze medal, as at the 2009 World Championship in Croatia.

Early lead

Both teams went on-court with great enthusiasm, and it was a fast game from the very first moment.

Despite the Polish motivation that led to the opening goal, it was Iceland that started better, as the Nordic players easily found holes in the Polish defensive wall, scoring long-distance goals, and quickly building a four-goal lead.

Iceland remained very focussed in defence, and coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson switched to a more aggressive 4-2 formation, meaning that the Vikings often defended on the nine metre line.

This disturbed the Polish back players, who found themselvesfloundering as they did in their semi-final against Croatia. The Polish head coach, Bogdan Wenta, opted for Piotr Wyszomirski in goal instead of Slawomir Szmal, but his team looked tired and much more sluggish than their Icelandic opponents.

Sigurdsson and his team-mates steadily increased their lead, staking an early, very strong claim for the bronze medal, as at half-time, they led by 8 goals.

Poland fight back

When the second 30 minutes began, the red-whites seemed to stir from their slumber and began an impressive campaign to decrease the Icelandic lead. Now more focussed in defence and again with Szmal between the posts, the Vikings were hardly able to score against them.

Iceland scored only three goals in 15 minutes, whereas Polska made a marvellous 7-2 run within 10 minutes. Gudmundsson submitted his green card for a time out, as the difference between the two teams was down to just three goals.

An impressive last quarter followed, with both teams producing quality handball and playing to their limits. Defences became stronger, goalkeepers saved with great save-rates, and the two fan groups pushed their teams for the victory. Poland impressively pulled-back to a single goal difference, but the Vikings fought back bravely to finally clinch the victory.

Iceland back

With today’s loss, Poland have been defeated three times in a row in this EURO Championship, as they lost against all of the other semi-finalists and ended-up in fourth place.

The bronze medal is the best-ever EURO result for the Icelandic team, and follows the silver medal won at the Beijing Olympic Games. The Nordic country has once again confirmed that they belong among the best teams in the world.

Post-match Statements

Bogdan Wenta, the Polisg coach, said: "We were only able to perform well for 30 minutes and that wasn’t enough for winning the match. I congratulate Iceland on their victory.

His opposite number, Gudmundur Gudmundsson, said: "My feelings are very good after this bronze match. We had a mixture of results in the Championship, and started by losing points in games when we were in lead.

"But for the Main Round we improved our performance and with this victory, we’ll make our country happy. Of course, we were very disappointed about yesterday’s defeat against France, but managed to overcome the loss and bid a nice farewell to EHF EURO 2010 today."

Olafur Stefansson, said: "The first half decided the game: we were strong in defence and had great fast-break goals. Poland only performed well in the 2nd half, when Slawomir Szmal made our life hard with regard to scoring."

Gudjón Valur Sigurdsson, said: " I feel very happy now. I scored eight goals, but failed five times against Polish goalkeeper Szmal, who played a brilliant second half and made our victory harder. For us it’s not important who scores the goals, but the final result that counts."

Poland vs Iceland 26:29 (10:18)

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