From heaven to hell: that's how the Swiss handball team's performance in Oslo in their 35:38 defeat against Slovenia at the European Championships can be described. Coach Andy Schmid speaks of a total collapse.
19.01.2026, 05:02
19.01.2026, 06:57
SDA
"The best half in a long time was followed by probably the worst 20 minutes. We did everything wrong that you can do wrong. We fell into a downward spiral that was second to none," Schmid summed up. The Swiss led 20:14 at the break, 23:14 after 33 minutes and were still 27:19 ahead in the 40th minute.
Veteran Lenny Rubin commented on the fatal collapse: "We no longer managed to be compact in defense. We made too many technical mistakes and missed shots up front. The Slovenians took advantage of that. Their advantage in this situation was that they had nothing left to lose." Were things almost going too well beforehand? "We played outstandingly well against a top team until the 40th minute. That may sound stupid, but we have to be proud of that, even if we can't buy anything from it."
For Rubin, the slump was also due to the fact that the team is still very young and most of the players do not yet have much experience on the international stage. Nevertheless, he emphasized: "Games like this can bring you even closer together. Since I've been in the national team, which has been the case for almost ten years, I think the current team is by far the best. In the last few years, we've repeatedly suffered stupid defeats. Now we have to take the next step so that this doesn't happen to us again. Then we'll be hard to stop."
Clear victory required against Montenegro
The Swiss will have the opportunity to do better in their final preliminary round match against eliminated Montenegro on Tuesday. A clear victory is then required if they are to have any chance of reaching the main round. If the Swiss win and the Faroe Islands lose against Slovenia, the goal difference will be decisive. The Faroe Islands currently have a 16-goal advantage. The task is therefore more than difficult.
"We had high hopes for this tournament," said Rubin. However, they were aware that it was a very, very difficult group, even if many had said that progressing would be easy. "But there are always surprises, and maybe we can pull one off and still progress."
First, however, it is important to digest the whole thing as well as possible. Schmid said: "It's deep-rooted - and it should be."
