Postgame interview with Eduardo - 'We deserved more than one goal'

An interview with Eduardo after Portugal - Norway game.

"Taking into consideration how offensive had been playing I think we deserved more than one goal, but I'm happy with the victory. When the clean sheet is kept, we are more close to a victory and the team gets confidence. We showed it today. We had good defense and the attack created many situations to score. We had known that they were good when it come to set pieces. Fortunately we scored the goal we had needed. The result is fair. We could have scored more, but the victory was the most important."

Are you satisfied with your individual performance?

"It was the most important to win. When we didn't lost goals and fulfilled our work well, it was obvious we were satisfied and happy."

What about your future in Genoa? Are going to stay in the club?

"Yes, I still have two more years of the contract. I think I'm not going to move on earlier. But you never know if something doesn't change when it comes to professional terms. I feel good here, people treat me good, I hope to repay".

Source: Maisfutebol.

Video interview with the coach Bogdan Wenta after Croatia - Poland match

Wenta: brakuje mi w tej grupie człowieka, który to pociągnie

Before the game against Serbia there was such silence in the dressing room... There was a change later, but today... On the morning walk, on the meeting before the game the mood was full of optimism.

For Croats it was a game for everything, and it was the same for us. We commited mistakes in this match, we suffered a break down. It seems that this group lacks the leader, someone who will inspire the others. Sometimes Grzesiu [Tkaczyk] plays this part but he was ruled out by an injury. Sławek [Szmal] is a great figure, showed it today through his great performance, but we can't expect that he is going to cover the goal completely, save everything and we are only going to score.

It was a series of easy mistakes again. It's a bit embarassing. If it is only unused clear situation, the team can't be really blamed for it. If it repeats three or four times in the row the player can be always changed. But it's puzzling that in simple situations we are losing the ball or passing it straight in the hands of an opponent. Those throws are intended to be so easy just in purpouse to start the game well, to face the opponent. Today we expected that they are going to wait what we are going to do. There were good moments, we had postions to score. When we hesitated for a while, tried to slow down on the back, there were counter-attacks.

I know the Croatian team's way of playing by heart. To sum up today they also didn't play anything different than usual. But it worked out, they were more effective or perhaps they commited less mistakes, or, I don't know, the spectators were more favourable for them because thay are among the top teams not only for the last four years but for ten, right? Well, it's a certain advantage.

They say... Well, today Croats had a few players from Bundesliga in the squad... But in the backstage people generally say that players playing in Bundesliga are more tired that the others. But then again, it's standing in the front of the cameras and saying what we all want to hear.

We are the group where there is sixteen players and the coaching staff, so it's obvious that as in every group they are friendships but they are also anthypaties. Someone likes someone else more, someone is irritated by someone's else behaviour. We are together for nearly a month so you can be annoyed just by seeing the t-shirt another person is wearing or beg my pardon what is served for the breakfast or what hour we are drinking coffee. It's normal. Add stress to this to get the picture. If you win matches, everything is okay, the cooperation goes well. Even if something is not quite right... Like today in Grabarczyk's case. I have a lot of admiration for him, because it had seemed he was injuried and yet he managed to play quite well.

22nd Men's Handball World Championship - Croatia - Poland 28:24 (13:11), postgame video interview with Piotr Wyszomirski and goalkeepers match stats

Postgame interview with the deputy goalkeeper Piotr Wyszomirski after Crotia - Poland game. His performance as well as Sławomir Szmal's belongs to the few positive sides of that game.

Szmal saved 42% of shots (15 of 36 attempts). He saved also two penalty shots and sucesfully stopped opponents in situations one to one a few times.

Wyszomirski replaced Szmal in 42'. He saved 46% of shots (6 of 13), one penalty shot and managed to save a shot in one to one situation.

But a goalkeeper can't win a game alone...

Wyszomirski o porażce z Chorwacją: coś pękło, zeszło z nas powietrze

It was really an important match for us, as if it was the final. We were fighting for the qualification to the Olympic Games. We are going to play another final two days later. We will see how it's going to turn out. I think we lacked the spirt, everyone had had a different expectations in the first place. We arrived on those Championships with other plan.

Something went wrong, we lacked the consequence in the attack and commited stupid mistakes in the defence. We had to chase the result again and that cost us dear. We were not able to catch up with the result and we lost.

Question: In your opinion that game could be won?

I think so. At the beggining Croats were very nervous. We also didn't look the best, but we lead the game at the beginning of the first half. So I think that if our counter-attacks had been sucessful and we had scored we would have had a chance. We could get clear lead and they would have to chase the result. I think we could have won this match.

22nd Men's Handball World Championship - Croatia - Poland 28:24 (13:11), postgame video interview with Sławomir Szmal

Szmal: w poprzednie mecze wkładaliśmy dużo serca. Dziś tego nie było

Szmal: We lack the spirit. It's as if something died down in us. We play without a faith in ourselves, in our team. In such moments it's as if we had already lost. It could be clearly seen in the second half when we were playing but without faith, simply speaking... Well, it's hard to judge it now.

Journalist: So what had happened with this fight? Because we come here with great hopes but we lost three of four matches against top teams.

Szmal: Well, with great hopes. For sure we come here to fight as we had said. No one did say that we came here with an intention to give up. I think that up to this moment we put our heart into the games. There were of course weak matches, when we didn't play the best but we really put our heart into them. I think we can't say the same today.

Journalist: I'm under an impression that today, first time since a long time, Croats were within the reach. That's why it hurts even more.

Szmal: Well, I think that they played in their own style. They worked out good situations to score and here Piotrek [Wyszomirski, the deputy goalkeeper] deserves to be praised. Also the defence in the first half was good, the lads were fighting. Unfortunately, there were too much counter-attacks in the second half and it's always disheartening for a goalkeeper.

Journalist: We are on the fourth place in this group. This means "a game of everything" awaits us, because the seventh place on the tournament guarantees us a right to play in the elimination for the Olympic Games. The eighth will not.

Another journalist: It's as if it was a final.

Szmal: Actually it was also a final today. If we had won today we needn't to worry any more. We would play for the fifth place. Unfortunately we didn't managed to win. I hope we will pull ourselves together and we are going to play a good game.

Journalist: Most likely it's going to be Hungary. So it's an opponent which is theoretically weaker. Seems we are going to be the favourite.

Szmal: On those Championships we can't really judge who is weaker or not. As we had said before we should think about ourselves, belive in ourselves and give 100 per cent of ourselves.

22nd Men's Handball World Championship - Poland - Sweden 21:24 (12:14), video interview with Sławomir Szmal

After a hard, exhausting and even game Sweden won with Poland 24:21.

Postgame interview with Polish goalkeeper Sławomir Szmal, whose amazing saves allowed to keep up Poland's hopes to tie the game. Unfortunately too much mistakes in the attack didn't allowed to sucessed one more time.

Sweden, as well as Poland and Argentina qualifed to the second round of the Championships. In the group they are going to play against Serbia, Croatia and Denmark.

Szmal: Zabrakło koncentracji i woli walki

Our plan was to play aggressively because we know the opponent, we had know that the main threat are Andersson and Kaellman. We were suppoused to play offensive and harshly. Unfortunately, they managed to come off on good postions. We commited a number of mistakes in attack and they answered with counterattacks. In today's match we lacked consistency and the will to win. We had a real chance to win today with Swedes on their home soil, watched by 12 000 audience.

We had a few situations when we had a one man advantage but we didn't used it. Normally we should win in such moments by scoring two goals. There was a situation when we had a chance to tie the game but unfortunately we were losing the ball. Against such a opponent on their home soil it's impossible to win a game.

Having such an audience, when Swedes fans were cheering for their team, there were moments when only the Polish supporters could be heard. It should give us strength but unfortunately in those crucial moments we failed.