Israel Handball Team Begins European Championship Qualifiers Against Czech Republic

The Israeli national handball team is set to commence its European Championship qualifying campaign on Wednesday, November 3rd, with an away match against the Czech Republic in Žilina. This marks the first of two crucial away games, with the second scheduled for Saturday against Slovenia. Israel managed to swap home-game advantage with Slovenia for this round.

The team's primary objective is to qualify for the European Championship for the first time since 2002. To achieve this, they must secure one of the top two spots in their group, which also includes Bosnia, or finish as one of the four best third-place teams across all eight groups. Every point and every goal is critical, as results against the fourth-place team do not count towards qualification.

The squad arrived in Žilina and was joined by players who play abroad, including Yoav Lombroso, Yahav Shamir, Yonatan Dayan, Tal Feld, and Daniel Moussindi. Tomer Rash Arman, who plays in the Czech Republic, was also added to the roster. Spanish coach David Pisonero and his assistant Chen Pomerantz, who coaches in Germany, are leading the team.

Following the recent success of Israel's youth teams, with both the U-20 and U-18 squads qualifying for their respective World Championships, there is a strong desire to replicate this achievement at the senior level. Young talent Loïc Beksou, who has already progressed to the senior team, will also play with the U-20 team at the World Championship this summer.

Czech Republic finished 17th in the last European Championship, while Slovenia placed 8th. The upcoming match against the Czechs is expected to be challenging, with the Žilina arena, holding approximately 2,000 spectators, anticipated to be nearly full. Coach Pisonero expressed optimism, stating, "Our guys are full of enthusiasm and desire to do something great and continue the progress we started in the previous campaign." He acknowledged the difficulty of the away games, calling the Czech Republic "a very dangerous opponent," but emphasized belief in their approach. Player Daniel Moussindi added, "We are meeting a very, very good opponent in the Czech Republic, but we are also coming with the attitude of coming to win." He highlighted the team's cohesion and belief in their chances.

In another match within the same group, Slovenia will host Bosnia concurrently.