The Swiss handball team experienced an inexplicable collapse at the European Championships. After a 28:28 draw against the Faroe Islands to open the tournament, they suffered a 35:38 defeat against Olympic fourth-placed Slovenia.
18.01.2026, 22:29
18.01.2026, 23:17
SDA
It was more than a bitter defeat. The Swiss led 23:14 in the 33rd minute and Slovenian coach Uros Zorman was shown a red card in the 37th minute. So everything was in the SHV team's favor. After that, however, a lack of concentration in the form of unnecessary mistakes crept into the game once again for coach Andy Schmid's team. The Swiss went 32:33 behind for the first time in the 54th minute, after which they only managed to equalize three more times. After 35:35 (56'), they did not score again.
It was therefore ultimately a waste of time that the Swiss played very strongly for a long time in front of 2026 spectators in Oslo. They led 3:0 after 136 seconds and 8:3 after ten minutes and did not allow the Eastern Europeans to get closer than three goals before the break. The maximum lead in the first half was seven goals, and the Swiss were 20:14 ahead at the break.
Two halves, two faces
Goalkeeper Nikola Portner played a large part in the clear lead after 30 minutes, recording eight saves in the first half. After that, however, only three shots were saved. As a result, he was no longer the back-up his team needed.
Manuel Zehnder scored five goals before the break, but was no longer successful after that. The Swiss side's best scorers were wingers Noam Leopold and Gino Steenaerts with six goals each. Circle player Lukas Laube, who did not play in the first game, scored all five of his goals.
Dependent on shooting assistance
It was the 14th defeat for the Swiss in their 17th clash against the Slovenians, who also drew. As a result, they no longer have a chance of advancing to the main round in their final preliminary round match against Montenegro on Tuesday. Montenegro have already been eliminated and are now only playing for honors.
