Spain will be in the European semifinals for the sixth time in a row on Fridayand equals Croatia, the only country that had done something similar, staying in the continental elite for 12 years uninterruptedly among as many candidates as there are every two seasons in Europe. It was enough for him to draw against Poland, and he won 28-27 (14-13) in an agonizing manner, and all with the anguish in their throats and their nails consumed.
It would have been unfair for Spain not to progress to the semi-finals, but it cannot be ignored that it has cost them work and tears to get rid of a Poland with significant casualties, with nothing at stake, and that jeopardized the dream of Hispanics. Poland started badly, but was always in the game getting all the performance of their wingers converted into full-backs, indecipherable in their movements for the Spanish defense.
Cañellas returned, having already overcome COVID, with Tarrafeta, Sarmiento and Casado, forming the gear of right-handers on the front line. In the end, Ribera opted for the veterans, Cañellas and Sarmiento to govern the outcome, when the important thing was to risk the fair, even if everything did not turn out well.
In defense, a risky and slow initial bet: a 6-0 with three entry changes, Peciña, Guardiola and Sánchez Migallón together. That was the beginning, and by surprise for the Poles, or at least the result was a few robberies in a row, which allowed us to venture that it was going to be a comfortable after-dinner conversation.
Big mistake. That appearance was so false that Poland began to subtract, little by little, escaping its players from any ambush by the Spanish defense. It can be said that Jordi Ribera used his entire notebook, all its combinations, even the solutions for emergency situations.
Adriá Figueras missed two goals sung from six meters. Catalan is insurance, but he has a regular meeting, and that was already a general alarm. Because Spain in the second part reached three goals, but without that feeling of feeling superior, of commanding the court, or of dominating the game. No, there was no control, or at least it did not transcend that feeling.
In this match, Ribera trusted Corrales from the start, he sat him down in the second half and got him back because Gonzalo did not make any stops during the time he was in a gray afternoon for the goalkeepers. Well, at the last minute Spain lost the ball in a rehearsed play in the time-out so that it reached Guardiola; Poland attacks on the run, and Galician Corrales rejects a one-on-one shot at almost point-blank range. The ball returns to the hands of the Poles who are looking for an equalizer from six meters, and the Cangués responds with a new save to put the curtain on the game. That was the outcome for a long-suffering and agonizing victory with which the Hispanics went to Budapest.