Latvian national handball team Photo: LHF
The Latvian men’s handball team lost on Sunday in the first round of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers in the Faroe Islands, the capital of the Faroe Islands, without continuing the fight for a place in the final tournament. Latvian handball players lost to the Faroe Islands national team with a result of 19:26 (10:17).
At the start of the tournament, Latvia capitulated to Italy on Friday at 23:36, but on Saturday played a draw with Luxembourg at 30:30. In the first match of the day, Italy defeated Luxembourg and Latvia with 29:28, to win at least second place in the group and advance to the next round of qualifying, they had to win by at least 18 goals.
The most productive in the Latvian national team with six goals was Austris Tuminskis, but Dainis Krištopāns scored five goals. Trondur Mikelsen stood out five times in the Faroe Islands.
In the fourth subgroup of the first round of the qualification, the Faroe Islands and Italy scored four points in three games, Luxembourg had three points and Latvia had one. The two best teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the second phase of the qualifying tournament. The final tournament of the World Championship with the participation of 32 units will take place from 11 to 29 January 2023 in Poland and Sweden. In addition to the housewives, the place in the final tournament has already been secured for the world champion Denmark. The four teams will secure a place in the World Cup in the finals of the European Championships currently taking place in Slovakia and Hungary. Next week, Latvian handball players will play the qualifying games of the next European Championship with Bulgaria in Dobele.
Composition of the Latvian national team for games in the Faroe Islands:
goalkeepers – Edgars Kukša (OHV Aurich, Germany), Raitis Puriņš (ASK National Guard / LSPA), Artūrs Kuģis (Varberg, Sweden);
field players – Nikita Panchenko, Austris Tuminskis, Nils Miķelsons, Emīls Kurzemnieks, Nils Kreicbergs, Andis Ērmanis, Antons Šuleiko, Oskars Arājs, Egils Politers (all – Dobele “Tenax”), Kristers Rihards Ozols (ASK Zemessardze / LSPA), Dain “Saint-Germain”, France), Renārs Grebenņikovs (“Latgols”), Artūrs Meikšāns (Pelvas “Serviti”, Estonia), Elvijs Borodovskis (“TSG Habloch”, Germany), Linards Usāns (“Latgols”), Rihards Leja ( “Ogre”).
