Romania was mathematically eliminated from the Women’s World Handball Championship, and the performance of the “tricolors” was analyzed by the former coach of the men’s national team, Petru Gervan.

>> Women’s World Handball Championship: Romania is officially out of the competition / Results of the evening

“The girls started to play on the counter-attack, so it was necessary to continue,” says Petru Gervan

Gerwan, 65, spoke of the high expectations he had ahead of the competition and said he was disappointed by the “big day-to-day fluctuations” in the girls’ game, coached by Florentin Pera.

“We expected a lot, everyone had hopes, and that’s natural, as it should be, in a country where handball is still a sport accepted and loved by many people. But at the moment, everything is more difficult, because the path to the final stage of the competition itself is difficult. We had to win as a group, we were doomed.

And in my opinion, as in the opinion of other colleagues in handball, the fact that we have large fluctuations from day to day is caused by the lack of experience at the top, I mean the interruption of participation at a high level in the final stages of the competition, plus the lack of acquisition the status of recognized players of international importance.

The girls started playing on counterattacks, playing fast. This work had to be continued! Why not continue with Germany? If you still started to play like this, to believe in this weapon, to believe that this is how modern handball is played, then you should continue like this when you are behind the wheel, and not only when you have a knife to your bone! This is a bad mentality at the level of society!” – Peter Gervanin an interview with Gazeta Sporturilor.

Petru Gervan: “We Romanians are tired of projects longer than four years”

The former coach of the men’s national team (2009) says Romania needs continuity and a well-thought-out project to become a powerhouse in women’s handball again.

“Until continuity is achieved … Pera or whoever will be there for a few years to find out what’s wrong now. Also Bohdan Burtsia, two people who undoubtedly have a say as specialists!

Colleague Robert Leake said before the match against Japan that when he applied for FRH he said he needed eight years. Now he has recovered and said he needs 15 years!

This is difficult work, but it can only be done professionally. If we go emotionally, “that she doesn’t know, that the other one doesn’t, that player doesn’t know that”… We don’t do anything.

It is almost impossible to qualify for the Olympic Games, the chances are close to zero. But if we sit and watch, this is why sport is beautiful, from here you can be reborn, leave the place where you are now and go on. But let’s do it right!

We Romanians are tired of projects lasting more than four years. Since we live in a democratic state and know that the mandate lasts four or five years, we are no longer interested in larger projects. If we don’t calm down and try to take things in stride, we will continue to change!” – Peter Gervan.

Christina Nyagu can no longer be included in the plans of the Romanian national team, believes Petru Gervan

The match against Germany is likely to be Cristina Nyagu’s last for Romania (she has already announced she will not play against Poland) and Gervan believes she should be replaced if there are alternatives.

“I know Christina as a great player, and I can’t say anything else now. She remains an excellent player, even if she was present in the only lost match. A great player remained. The problem is that even the big players stop at some point.

It’s a matter of context and I think the staff and Christina will decide when it stops. As far as I understand, long-term construction also involves such solutions.

If she can be part of those plans, good! But I don’t think he can be a part of it anymore. If not, appropriate decisions should be made together with her, with all due respect to our great athlete.

A decision must be made, because time passes, no one can turn it back. So, because there are human resources in that position, and they are – we have Lixandra and whoever else there, there are enough girls – I say that the staff and Cristina have to accept and decide what is best for the Romanian national team.” – Peter Gervan.

Main group III, standings

1. Germany 8p / 119:90

2. Denmark 6p / 122:93

3. Romania 4p / 114:119

4. Poland 4p / 93:116

5. Japan 2p / 115:121

6. Serbia 0p / 91:115.

Romania’s results at the Women’s Handball World Cup are 44-19 against Chile, 37-28 against Serbia, 23-39 against Denmark, 22-24 against Germany and 32-28 against Japan.

In the last match of the main group III, Romania will meet Poland. The game will take place on Monday, December 11, from 19:00.

Romania’s record at each World Handball Championship in which it participated

World Cup Spain 2021 – 13th place: 3 wins / 0 draws / 3 losses / 202-146 (goal difference +56)

WC 2019 Japan – 12th place: 3 wins / 0 draws / 5 losses / 181-227 (-46)

World Cup 2017 Germany – 10th place: 4 wins / 0 draws / 2 losses / 150-140 (+10)

World Cup 2015 Denmark – 3rd place: 5 wins / 0 draws / 4 losses / 270-225 (+45)

WC 2013 Serbia – 10th place: 4 wins / 1 draw / 2 losses / 161-127 (+34)

WC 2011 Brazil – 13th place: 2 wins / 1 draw / 3 losses / 166-183 (-17)

2009 World Cup China – 8th place: 5 wins / 1 draw / 3 losses / 306-231 (+75)

2007 World Cup France – 4th place: 7 wins / 0 draws / 3 losses / 323-284 (+39)

2005 WC Russia – 2nd place: 9 wins / 0 draws / 1 loss / 322-249 (+73)

2003 World Cup Croatia – 10th place: 4 wins / 1 draw / 3 losses / 244-206 (+38)

WC 2001 Italy – 17th place: 1 win / 0 draws / 4 losses / 129-135 (-6)

1999 World Cup in Denmark and Norway – 4th place: 5 wins / 0 draws / 4 losses / 250-196 (+54)

1997 German World Cup – 12th place: 3 wins / 0 draws / 3 losses / 186-161 (+25)

WC 1995 Austria-Hungary – 7th place: 6 wins / 0 draws / two losses / 232-175 (+57)

1993 World Cup Norway – 4th place: 4 wins / 0 draws / 3 losses / 156-129 (+27)

World Cup 1990 South Korea – 7th place: 1 win / 1 draw / 3 losses / 90-100 (-10)

1986 WC Netherlands – 5th place: 5 wins / 1 draw / 1 loss / 151-129 (+22)

World Cup 1982 Hungary – 8th place: 3 wins / 3 draws / 1 loss / 159-122 (+37)

World Cup 1978 in Czechoslovakia – 7th place: 3 wins / 0 draws / two losses / 78-67 (+11)

1975 USSR WC – 4th place: 4 wins / 0 draws / 3 losses / 102-83 (+19)

WC 1973 Yugoslavia – 2nd place: 4 wins / 0 draws / 1 loss / 67-52 (+15)

Netherlands Championship 1971 – 4th place: 2 wins / 1 draw / 2 losses / 51-51 (0)

World Cup Germany 1965 – 6th place: 0 wins / two draws / one loss / 18-21 (-3)

1962 World Cup in Romania – 1st place: 4 wins / 1 draw / 0 losses / 41-17 (+24)

World Cup 1957 Yugoslavia – 9th place: 0 wins / 0 draws / two losses / goal difference 2-9

Total: 164 matches / 91 wins / 12 draws / 61 losses / 4037-3465 (+572) goal difference.

Romania’s best result in the entire history of participation in the Women’s Handball World Cup

Romania’s best results were: the gold won at the 1962 tournament held in our country. 9 teams took part in the competition, and in the grand final, Romania beat Denmark 8-5.

This team included: Liliana Borcha, Ana Starck, Edeltraut Franz, Juliana Nako, Aurelia Soke-Selagianu, Constanta Dumitrascu, Antoineta Ocelea-Vasilie, Felicia Giorgitse, Iryna Nagy, Cornelia Constantinescu, Aurora Leonte-Niculescu, Josefina Ugron, Martina Constantinescu -Shape, Elena Hedesiu, Victoria Dumitrescu and Ana Nemets. Trainers: Constantin Popescu, Nikulae Nedeff.

Romania later won three more medals: silver in 1973 (defeated in the final 16-11 against host nation Yugoslavia), also silver in 2005 (lost in the grand final 28-23 to Russia) and bronze in 2015 ( 31-22 against Poland in the minor final).

The World Cup is being held for the first time in three countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, from November 29 to December 17, with 32 national teams taking part. Europe has 16 places at the World Cup, and three of them have been taken directly by the host teams. They were joined by Montenegro, France and the Netherlands after the EC 2022 ranking.