Norway vs Brazil: A tough match for the group favourite

Norway are one of the favourites to win the Olympic handball tournament and face Brazilians in the first round. The Scandinavian squad must win, but some difficulties may still arise. 

The Norwegian team is a consistent contender for top tournament medals, although, after two consecutive World Cup silver medals at the last Mundial, they only reached the quarterfinals. The team has several experienced players in Tokyo, and for the 39-year-old Bjarte Myrhol, it is the last chance to get the Olympic podium. The whole game is built around one of the best handball players in the world, Sander Sagosen. At the 2021 World Cup, Sagosen was 2nd on the scoring list, and not surprisingly, the Scandinavian squad was one of the leaders in long-range shots. Also worth mentioning are Magnus Jondal and Christian Bjornsen, with the latter reaching the Champions League Final Four with Denmark’s Aalborg. There are questions about the goalkeeping position. They did not shine at all during the World Cup in Egypt. Left midfielder Goran Johannessen is unavailable due to injury, and that is the only forced loss for the Norwegian outfit.

Christian Berge’s side have picked up six wins in their last seven games. In the only friendly on the eve of the Olympics, the Norwegian national team drew against Sweden, 26:26. The meeting took place in not the most comfortable conditions and was interrupted on 52 minutes because of the slippery floor. The teams were tied almost the entire game, and the result was fair on the whole. Magnus Jondal was the most productive in the Norwegian squad, scoring seven goals.

The Brazilian team reached the quarterfinals at the last Games in Rio, their best result in history. The team has not shone at the recent top tournaments, although the 2021 World Cup has been short of key players. Even without Thiago Dos Petrus, Felipe Borges, and Rogério Moraes, the Brazilians got on their nerves, drawing and then only winning once. In the current roster, many handballers play for European clubs, although the role of some homegrown players cannot be overestimated. Linesman Vinicius Teixeira has scored more than 500 goals for the national team, and he’s currently in the squad as well. There have been replacements in Egypt’s goalkeeping position compared to the Mundial, with Mike Dos Santos being left out of the tournament and Rangel Luan da Rocha from Spanish Logroño and Leonardo Tersariol from Benidorm being called up.

This year, the Brazilian national team has played 12 matches in all tournaments and won only four victories. They defeated the Chileans and South Koreans in Olympic qualification, but the last game before the Games did not work out. After beating Portugal (34-28), Marcus Oliveira’s charges lost to Germany (26-36) and Egypt (25-32). By halftime, the Brazilians were already trailing by two goals, with no chance of getting back into the game. The most productive players in the team were Moraes, Dutra Ferreira, and Langaro. They have four goals under their belt.

The Brazilian national team must improve in comparison with the last World Cup. They have two Champions League winners with Barcelona, although they do not play a leading role for the best club in the world. The Latin Americans have repeatedly been surprised at the top tournaments, and in the two weeks since the friendly against Egypt, they have had time to correct their mistakes. The Norwegians will be more difficult without Johannessen, although they already have enough handball players who can pull off a game alone. Sagosen is unlikely to be held back, but overall, long-range shots have become weaker, and they can take advantage of that. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Handicap 2 (+7.5) for 1.76;
• Total Over 58.5 goals for 1.93.