Italy overwhelming in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers: Latvia beaten 41-30 at the Pala Sa Rodia in Oristano.

Italy's handball team continues to shine in the EHF EURO 2026 qualifiers. In front of 2 spectators at Pala Sa Rodia in Oristano, the Azzurri secured their third win in Group 4 with a convincing 41-30 win over Latvia. A success that propels Bob Hanning's team to six points in the standings, awaiting the decisive matches in May against Spain and Serbia.

An Italian triumph under the eyes of the Minister of Sport

The match, the first official engagement of the men's national team in Sardinia, saw the presence of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and the Federal President Stephen Podini. During the interval, the Municipality of Oristano paid homage to Professor Angel Flore, pioneer of local handball.

At the end of the race, the individual awards rewarded Domenico Ebner including MVP of the meeting, while Thomas De Angelis and Simone Mengon were awarded the FIGHT Awards 2024, respectively as best young player and best Italian player overall.

Italy-Latvia 41-30

Hanning confirmed the roster that had already beaten Latvia 35-30 on March 13. The start of the match immediately highlighted the Italian superiority: the high and aggressive defense forced the opponents to make numerous errors, while in attack the twins Marco and Simone Mengon orchestrated rapid and effective actions. At 6', De Angelis opened a partial of 5-0 bringing the score to 8-3, immediately making it clear how the match was going.

In the 15th minute, captain Andrea Parisini (at his 106th appearance for the national team) signed another run, followed by Prantner for 13-5. Latvia tried to react with Kalnins and Janis Valkovskis, but without success. The first half ended with a clear 23-12, leaving little room for doubt about the fate of the match.

In the second half, Italy managed the advantage, giving minutes to all available players. Among the positive notes, the debut of the 2004 class Marco Zanon, author of two goals. At 45', the scoreboard read 33-17, with the match now in the bag. Despite some errors due to the management of the pace, the Azzurri maintained control until the final 41 am - 30 pm closing the race amidst the warmth of the crowd.

Leave the post-match statement

The words of the Italian Marco Mengon, top scorer of the match with six goals: "Our goal was to win both games. For us it's the start of a new cycle, it wasn't easy: the team is the same but various things have changed with new objectives, new tactical situations, a new defense. We wanted to win in front of our fans, make a good impression and demonstrate the strength of this national team. It was a good game, especially in the first half where we pushed hard and scored a lot. The situation in the group is favorable for us, but we know we have to face Spain at home and we always talk about a great team. We will have to face them with determination and at the same time serenity. We know that these will be games, against Spain and Serbia, where we can play our cards. We will arrive prepared". The Italian DT Bob Hanning: "We are very happy with today's match. We saw two completely different halves. In the first we showed a very aggressive defense and I am really happy with the result. In the second half I changed the team with the aim of giving more players chances. We can do more on fast counterattacks, but I know that this also depends on the fact that we rotated a lot. This aspect remains very important for me because I intend to try to have the greatest possible variety of athletes in the national team. We won both matches and we must be happy. We are changing our mentality, forgetting that if we are Italy we must be a small handball nation. That is not the case. Now let's think about our next step. Every match is important at an international level and Spain will come to our house with a full team and intent on winning. We must prepare well, trying to have as much time as possible to be ready."

Italy is now looking ahead to the challenges of May: the 8th against Spain in Fasano and the 12th away in Kraljevo against Serbia. Two fundamental tests for the dream of qualifying for EHF EURO 2026. The Azzurri have shown character and quality, and with the support of the Italian public they can continue to write a new page in the history of Italian handball.