This has been the hallmark and number one success factor of the Norwegian women’s national handball team for several years:

Solid defensive play with subsequent goalkeeper saves – and quick counter-attacks.

In the opening match in Rio, against hosts Brazil (lost 31-28), they failed to defend. As a result, the goalkeeper made few saves – and too few counter-attacks.

Already against Spain (27-24 win) there has been improvement. And when Angola were beaten 30-20, we saw how good Norway can be when, in particular, a fringe team makes the jump and turns on the turbo straight towards the opponent’s goal.

– Against Angola, we had nine counter-attack goals. That’s almost a third of the score, and that’s where we want to go, said NRK handball expert Øystein Havang.

Lunde wanted more

There should have been more counter-attack goals, as Norway also squandered several adventurous chances alone with its goalkeeper.

With the many saves she made, goalkeeper Katrine Lunde also had many opportunities to start counterattacks. He wants to start more.

– We can throw more. “I have a few balls that I could probably throw, but we have to pick them up in the next game,” he told NRK.

However, national team manager Thorir Hergeirsson does not necessarily agree with this analysis.

– Both and, he told NRK.

Have to find balance

The boss is of course delighted that the counter-attack has occurred and that Norway stands out as the best in the world in what Norway is traditionally the best in the world. But at the same time, he was concerned that this should not be resisted at all costs.

– We have a tendency to throw away a lot of the ball when playing forward when we work long in defence. That’s why it’s important to learn to find a balance between when you drive and when you row, he told NRK.

Then came the confession

– We’re not the best in the world at it. So that’s where we have work to do.

After a poor start against Brazil, things looked brighter for Norway after wins over Spain and Angola. Before Friday’s match against Montenegro, there is still a little work to be done.

– There’s a little here and a little there. It’s a little bit about the goalkeeper, a little bit about the defense, a little bit about the attacking game, a little bit about the attacking game, a little bit about the finishing, a little bit here and a little bit there. There are many positive things, but there is still room for improvement, stressed Thorir Hergeirsson.