In a heartbreaking turn of events, Egypt’s handball team saw their Olympic dreams shattered in a nail-biting quarterfinal match against Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 7. The Pharaohs, who had shown promise throughout the tournament, ultimately fell to Spain 29-28 in overtime.The match was a rollercoaster of emotions for Egyptian fans. Egypt dominated the first half, leading 12-8 at the break. They maintained their advantage for much of the game, at one point leading by as many as seven goals. However, Spain mounted a remarkable comeback in the latter stages of the match.With just five minutes remaining in regulation time, Egypt still held a two-goal lead. But Spain, showcasing their experience and determination, managed to equalize, forcing the game into overtime with a 25-25 tie. The turning point came at the 58-minute mark when Egyptian player Mohammad Sanad was expelled for two minutes, resulting in a penalty shot that was converted by Spain’s Aleix Gomez.In the overtime period, Spain’s goalkeeper Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas made several crucial saves, while the Dujshebaev brothers, Álex and Dani, contributed key goals to secure the victory for Spain. Despite a valiant effort from Egypt’s goalkeeper Mohamed Aly, who received vocal support from the crowd, the Pharaohs couldn’t maintain their earlier momentum.This defeat marks a bitter end to Egypt’s Olympic campaign, mirroring their loss to Spain in the bronze medal match of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It’s a particularly cruel blow for the team, who had shown great promise throughout the tournament, securing wins against Argentina (34-27) and Norway (26-25), and drawing with France (26-26) in the group stages.Spain now advances to the semifinals, where they will face either France or Germany. For Egypt, this loss ends their quest to improve upon their fourth-place finish from the previous Olympics, leaving them to reflect on a tournament of both triumph and heartbreak.
Key points
- Egypt’s handball team lost to Spain 29-28 in overtime in the Olympic quarterfinals.
- Egypt led for most of the game, including a 12-8 lead at halftime, but couldn’t hold off Spain’s late surge.
- The loss mirrors Egypt’s defeat to Spain in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medal match.
- Spain advances to the semifinals, ending Egypt’s hopes of improving on their previous fourth-place Olympic finish.
Contradictions👾One source reported the score as 82-29 in favor of Spain, which contradicts all other sources that reported a 29-28 final score.
