In a country passionate about football, handball has captured the hearts of many – the “heroes of the sea” have weathered numerous challenges, rebuilding from the ground up and this January made history.

Portugal stands out as the most remarkable story of the World Handball Championship, with a team coached for nearly a decade by Paulo Pereira, marking their inaugural semi-final appearance in a major tournament.

Once considered an average team when Pereira took charge in 2016, they have now breached the top four by overcoming giants like Norway, Sweden, and Spain, eventually reaching the quarter-finals in Germany.

In a thrilling encounter, Martim Košta scored spectacularly with just five seconds to spare in overtime, clinching a victory at 31:30.

“Tears of pride that inspire handball enthusiasts worldwide,” commented “A Bola” following the monumental win.

The coach who never played handball

After missing out on six European Championships and eight World Cups, Portugal made a comeback to the international stage in 2020.

It was evident during the EHF Euro that this was no longer just a team aiming to improve its goal differential; no one could have predicted the powerhouse that Pereira had cultivated over the years along the Atlantic coast – a man who had never played handball, yet possessed a deep understanding of the sport.

History was made at that championship as Portugal secured sixth place, followed by their much-awaited return to the World Cup the subsequent year for the first time since 2003.

They made it to the main round in that tournament and repeated the feat two years later, and this January, the “heroes of the sea” showcased their readiness for something monumental.

Sporting, Porto, and just three “foreigners”

Portugal’s success is largely attributed to a team primarily composed of players from the domestic Handball 1 league. Most are from the championship-winning team of Sporting, with Porto closely following, and one player each from Benfica and Mineiro.

Among the players that Pereira brought to the World Cup, only three are based outside Portugal.

These include standout pivot Luis Frade from Barcelona, Antonio Areia from French Tremblay, and Aleksandre Cavalcanti, a teammate of Nebojša Simić from Melzungen, who was sidelined due to health concerns.

Košta brothers and their dad as coach at Sporting

This January, many stars shone bright in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway, but none compared to the Portuguese prodigy Francisco “Kiko” Košta.

The 19-year-old was a nightmare for defenses at the World Cup, effortlessly scoring, assisting, and steering Portugal’s plays… A remarkable talent that Sporting may find hard to retain once European giants come calling.

At Sporting, Kiko plays alongside his brother Martim, who was instrumental in their victory against Germany, under the guidance of their father, Ricardo Košta.

If one were to pinpoint a key factor behind Portugal’s remarkable success, it would undoubtedly be the Costa family.

Portugal has indeed come a long way, but their journey is far from over – tomorrow night (Friday, 20:30 PM), they face their toughest challenge yet against three-time world champions Denmark in Berum, a suburb of Oslo.

“We are approaching this formidable team with all our might; let’s see what the outcome will be,” expressed coach Pereira.

Before that, tonight at 21:00 PM, Croatia and France will compete to decide who will advance to the final in Zagreb.

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