The victory of the men’s Goalball national team of Israel against Montenegro messed up the numbers and standings of Group B in the 2023 IBSA Goalball European Championships, which are taking place at the Verde Complex in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The victorious first round of the home team against Ukraine, one of the favourites to get the continental title, promised so much, but the star of Montenegro, Nikolaic, was absent in the second match today, and that made the whole difference. That and the fact that Israel has also something to say in this tournament, despite coming directly from Division B as champions, a title that was conquered in Portugal last year.

In men’s Group A, Lithuania didn’t play this Monday, but that hasn’t taken their leadership away. Germany closed Day 3 with a victory over Greece, giving them the same points as Lithuania but one more match and losing in the direct confrontation. Great Britain got their first points after defeating Belgium.

In the women’s competition, Israel took the lead in Group D after defeating Finland by the minimum score difference in a very balanced match. In the single match of Group C, Germany defeated Great Britain with a goal difference (2-1).

In the women’s competition, the silver medal can be relevant for the qualification to Paris 2024 if Türkiye, the current world champion and already qualified for that reason, can add the continental title to their curriculum.

Check out the results of the day, the groups’ standings, and the schedule for Day 4 (CET):

Monday, 11th
Ukraine vs Türkiye (mB): 4-1
Montenegro vs Israel (mB): 1-7
Finland vs Israel (wD): 4-5
Greece vs Hungary (wD): 10-0
Great Britain vs Germany (wC): 1-2
Great Britain vs Belgium (mA): 4-1
Greece vs Germany (mA): 6-9

Tuesday, 12th
9 am – Ukraine vs Great Britain (wC)
10.15 am – Lithuania vs Greece (mA)
11.30 am – Germany vs Great Britain (mA)
12.45 pm – Finland vs Ukraine (mB)
2 pm – Türkiye vs Montenegro (mB)
3.15 pm – Israel vs France (wD)
4.30 pm – Finland vs Greece (wD)