Faroe Islands confirmed their ongoing rise in international handball, winning the Men's 19 EHF Championship 2021 in Varna on Sunday with a come-from-behind win over Belarus.

Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu was the big man for Faroe Island, scoring a decisive 13 times in the final to raise his tally to a tournament-leading 44 for the week and being named MVP of the tournament.

Czech Republic also had a one-goal win, 27:26, to edge neighbours Slovakia in the battle for bronze.

FINAL

Faroe Islands vs Belarus 31:30 (16:18)

• Belarus were ahead for almost the entire first half, with three goals their biggest lead
• Going into the final 20 minutes, Belarus were still three ahead (24:21) but the teams were level at 26:26 nine minutes later
• Led by Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu’s 13 goals, Faroe Islands had sealed the deal when Janus Dam Djurhuus netted for 31:28 with just 40 seconds left, though Belarus still did score twice

Faroe Islands crown rise with win over Belarus

For years handball in Faroe Islands has been on the rise. Two years ago, their under-17 team beat Sweden to win the M17 European Open so their triumph in the M19 EHF Championship 2021 is not as big as a surprise as some might think.

Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu was top scorer at that event two years ago, and he repeated his achievement in Varna this week, adding a stunning 13 goals in the final to finish on 44 for the tournament.

Belarus were led by Aliaksandr Piatrovich and Ihar Bialiauski, who each scored seven.

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH

Slovakia vs Czech Republic 26:27 (13:16)

• Czech Republic seemed heading for an easy win when they took a four-goal lead in the opening quarter (9:5) but the teams were all level again (11:11) just seven minutes later
• A 5:1 run gave the Czechs another clear lead, but Slovakia levelled again and even took their first lead when Tomas Dévai netted for 18:17 in the 42^nd minute
• Slovakia’s Adam Lukacin scored three straight goals to make it 26:26 before Jan Bolehovsky scored the winner for Czech Republic with his only goal of the match

Czech Republic have the edge in derby for bronze

The neighbouring countries served up a match with a repeating pattern: first Czech Republic would go a few goals ahead, then Slovakia claw their way back into it.

It was no different when the Czechs seemed the likely winners with a 26:23 lead, only for Adam Lukacin to score three unanswered goals within 55 seconds.

There were still two minutes, 55 seconds to play after Jan Bolehovsky had put Czech Republic one up again, but both teams failed to find the net again on several occasions.

Mathias Choleva led for Czech Republic with nine goals; Marco Antl netted eight times for Slovakia.

Other results

Placement match 5/6
Finland vs Lithuania 23:26 (7:16)

Final rankings

1st Faroe Islands
2nd Belarus
3rd Czech Republic
4th Slovakia
5th Lithuania
6th Finland
7th Bulgaria

All-star Team

Goalkeeper: Pauli Jacobsen (Faroe Islands)
Left wing: Stanislau Sadouski (Belarus)
Left back: Ihar Bialiauski (Belarus)
Centre back: Jonas Patzel (Czech Republic)
Line player: Bozhidar Simeonov (Bulgaria)
Right back: Kyril Samoila (Belarus)
Right wing: Hakun West Av Teigum (Faroe Islands)
Best defender: Andrei Pushkin (Belarus)
MVP: Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu (Faroe Islands)

Top scorers

44 – Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu (Faroe Islands)
39 – Ihar Bialiauski (Belarus)
35 – Romas Aukstakalnis (Lithuania)
33 – Edward Hammarberg (Finland)
32 – Kiryl Samoila (Belarus)