Playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina handballers
The match in Bosnia’s Zenica could have guaranteed Belarus’ ticket to the finals. The away match draw followed a 25:25 home draw: clear victory in either would have paved the way to immediate qualification, with the same true for the rival. Sergey Rutenko made a final attack on the Bosnian net less than a minute before the whistle, without success, and the rival team made repeated attempts at Belarus’ goal, saved by Ivan Matskevich. Meanwhile, the final match of the 2016 European Championship selective tournament was performed by Belarusian handballers at a high level, leaving no chance to their Lithuanian rivals — 31:24. In the parallel match, the group leader — Dutch — defeated Bosnians in a tough struggle. That outcome was to Belarus’ benefit: our country has preserved the second position in the tournament table, receiving a pass to the 2016 European Championship.
By Igor Leshin
