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Still their domain Russia claims team handball gold by denying SwedenLatest: Sunday October 08, 2000 05:54 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Russia defeated world champion Sweden 28-26 on Saturday to win the gold medal in men's handball. Alexander Tuchkin had seven goals, and goalkeeper Andrei Lavrov recorded some spectacular saves as Russia used a 6-0 run to take over the contest. Russia's win denied Sweden the chance to become the first non-East European team to win gold since handball returned to the Olympics in 1972. The Soviet Union and the Unified Team won three Olympic golds. Sweden lost its third straight Olympic final. Antonio Ortega and Rafael Guijosa scored six goals apiece as Spain beat Yugoslavia 26-22 to win its second straight Olympic bronze medal. In a high-quality game between the two top-ranked teams in the world, Russia and Sweden swapped leads through the first period, with no team leading by more than one goal. Sweden took a 14-13 lead into the second half. Sweden was the first team to hold a two-goal lead, but Torgovanov scored two unanswered goals and Lev Voronin added another to put Russia ahead 17-16. Tuchkin had two straight goals and Edouard Kokcharov closed the crucial 6-0 Russian run for a 21-16 lead. During the interval, Lavrov made two great saves and Sweden's Magnus Wislander hit the post on one Swedish possession.
Russia then put in Pavel Soukossian in goal and he stopped a penalty throw and made another big save, before Lavrov returned to deny Ljubomir Vranjes. Martin Boquist cut Sweden's deficit to two, 22-20, before Tuchkin made it a three-goal game again. With Ola Lindgren serving a two-minute penalty, Vassili Koudinov made it 24-20, but Vranjes replied with a shorthanded goal. Martin Fraendesjoe converted a fast break and Sweden was back in the match, trailing by two. Vranjes, who led Sweden with eight, scored on a penalty to make it a one-goal game, but Voronin replied by converting a Russian penalty. After several turnovers at both ends, Kokcharov scored on an empty net with just over four minutes left as goalkeeper Tomas Svensson tried to intercept the fast break. With Russia a man down, Lavrov stopped Andreas Larsson's shot and saved Vranjes' penalty throw as Russia killed the power play. Lavrov made another save with Russia again a man down with 17 seconds left and the game was over. Spain dominated the bronze medal match against an uninspired Yugoslav team. 'Yesterday was the worst match for us,' Ortega said of the semifinal loss to Sweden. 'We were hoping for more but finished third again.' Spain took a three-goal lead (12-9) into the second period but Yugoslavia closed to within one, helped by a goal from Zikica Milosavljevic. On Yugoslavia's next possession, Nenad Perunicic shot wide, Spain scored quickly off a pair of Yugoslav turnovers and left wing Guijosa closed a 4-0 run to make it a five-goal game (16-11) seven minutes into the second halftime. Guijosa and pivot Andriy Xepkin both had two goals apiece in the crucial run. Spain never looked back. With Yugoslavia still down by five, Nedeljko Jovanovic missed a seven-meter penalty throw. Right wing Ortega then earned a penalty for Spain and converted it himself. Spain scored two unanswered goals to take a 20-13 lead. After Ortega missed to score off a fast break, Yugoslavia turned the ball over, Ortega drew another penalty shot and converted it to give Spain the biggest lead of the game, 21-13. Perunicic brought Yugoslavia within four with just over four minutes left but Inaki Urdangarin scored on the next possession to restore a five-goal lead for Spain. Dragan Skrbic made it a three-goal game with a power-play goal with under three minutes to play, but Yugoslavia turned the ball over again on the next possession and Spain ran down the clock, with Urdangarin hitting another penalty throw for the final score. Milosavljevic and Skrbic led Yugoslavia with six goals apiece. Still, Milosavljevic wasn't happy. 'I played really badly. At the moment, we are very bad. Spain was the better team.' Urdangarin, the Spanish captain, celebrated the bronze with his wife, Princess Cristina, the daughter of Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Queen Sofia and Crown Prince Felipe also watched the match. The 33-year-old princess and Urdangarin met at a party during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta to celebrate Spain's bronze medal. Urdangarin hugged his one-year-old son as the royal family joined in the celebrations. The princess is expecting the couple's second child in November. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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