MALMO, Sweden – Seven goals from right back Mohsen Mahmoud helped Egypt to the brink of the quarter-finals of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship as they saw off Belgium 33:28.
Ahead of the game and on paper at least, the result was never in doubt: the world championship debutants from Europe taking on Egypt, the host nation of the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, who finished seventh.
But an impressive Belgian performance, combined with an Egyptian side working in a lower gear, meant a competitive outing ahead of more important matches for both coming up.
Next up for Belgium is Croatia, while the Pharaohs will face Bahrain. Both games will take place on Saturday.
The first two teams in the main round will advance to the competition’s quarter-finals.
It was a game of two halves, but in a slightly different way than normal.
Scoring 22 (85 per cent scoring ratio) first-half goals and taking a seven-goal lead into the break meant that Egypt had effectively killed off the match after 30 minutes.
But a lack of impetus and a Belgium side grabbing valuable top-level experience made for an interesting second period which saw the Europeans outscore their rivals 13:11.
“We played a good first half, full of intensity, playing good in attack and good in defence and that’s why we were leading by seven goals,” said Egypt coach Roberto Parrondo.
“But the second half was not so good for us. Our intensity was decreasing a lot and we couldn’t make 60 minutes with the level that I would like to have done,” Parrondo added.
Egypt’s second half felt like they were wearing weights on their shoes – they did not reach double-scoring figures in the period until the 59th minute.
Belgian goalkeeper Arthur Vanhove made seven saves in the first half and was helped down the other end with five second-half goals from Sebastien Danesi.
While Belgium, who were missing winger Yannick Glorieux due to a positive covid test, may celebrate that second period, Parrondo will be slightly concerned about the motivation of his fully-rotated team following that blistering first half, although he dismissed that in the post-match media conference.
“I’m not worried because every time that you win, you have to be happy for getting the two points,” he said.
“Belgium is playing good. They never gave up and they didn’t make the things easy for us. So, I’m happy for getting the victory, but I would like that we will have done better second half today.”
The result means that Egypt (six points) top the group and now has one foot in the last eight, pending the remaining group games, while Belgium is now out of contention for progression.
“At half-time the captain and the leaders of the team talked to the young players and we played a good second half,” said Belgium coach Yerime Sylla.
“We won the second-half. We took double the goals in the first-half than in the second. It’s unbelievable to start a game in the first 30 minutes conceding 22 goals. It is not possible at this level to hope something.
“I’m a bit frustrated for them,” added the coach about his players. “They had the occasion for some of them to show what they’re capable of, but that’s sport. Maybe we’re tired? We’re going to learn a lot from this game and I think frustration can sometimes push you when you think about it.”
Morocco vs Tunisia 25:30
Tunisia is the only Cup participants who managed to earn one point at the group stage. Now, they finally claimed their maiden win at Poland/Sweden 2023, beating Morocco in an all-African encounter 25:30.
The final five-goal gap became possible thanks to Tunisia’s impressive 5:0 run late in the game. Morocco scored their last goal in the match in the 50th minute – after that, their rivals shut up their shot and grabbed a victory.
But during most of the encounter, the fight was very close. Led by Issam Rzig, Tunisia opened a 5:1 lead seven minutes into the game, but Morocco managed to hit back.
Midway through the first half, the “Atlas Lions” drew level and later pulled in front, as Tunisia netted only once between minutes 14 and 24.
However, the game then made another twist, as Ghassen Toumi’s goals propelled Tunisia to a 3:0 run and a 13:12 lead.
They were very close to winning the first half, but Nabil Slassi equalised for Morocco in the last second before the break.
The second-half had a different scenario, but although Morocco could never get in front, they did not allow their rivals to pull clear for a long time, drawing level quite a few times. Reida made a big impact, finishing the game with nine goals, one more than Tunisia’s top scorer Rzig.
However, Tunisia’s goalkeeper Mehdi Harbaoui did a good job, boasting a 38 per cent save rate, which was one of the factors that helped his team to win.
Norway vs Serbia 31:28
Norway extended their winning streak at Poland/Sweden 2023 to four wins in a row after a superb comeback in their first main round game in Katowice, delivering a huge blow to Serbia’s chances of a quarter-final berth with a 31:28 win.
It was the last-chance saloon for Serbia, as a loss against Norway on Thursday night in the Spodek Arena in Katowice would have seen them virtually eliminated from contention for a quarter-finals berth. But tough as nails, Serbia would not give up without a fight; especially as coach Toni Gerona created a tight unit which plays every game as if it would be their last.
This is why it was no surprise that Serbia had a strong start to the game, with left back Petar Djordjic catapulting three powerful shots in the top corner in quick succession over a four-minute stint between the sixth and the 10th minutes, helping his side to take an early 7:5 lead.
In fact, in attack, Serbia relied heavily on their back line, which scored 10 of their 17 goals in the first-half, with right backs Milos Orbovic and Jovica Nikolic combining for six goals, with Norway struggling to find any answers to block them. But the difference maker was goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev.
Milosavljev missed Serbia’s first two matches due to an injury he was only recently cleared of. Making his debut against Qatar, the 26-year-old shot-stopper had an excellent second-half. But it was nothing compared to his antics in the game against Norway, where he finished the first half with eight saves for a 36 per cent saving efficiency, including four one-on-one saves.
That meant Norway had to mount a comeback in the second half, which they started three goals down (17:14). As back Sander Sagosen failed to register a shot, dishing four assists, it was clear that something was off in Norway’s attack and they had only 30 minutes to bounce back.
This is where experience comes in. Usually, teams that are contending for trophies have it in spades. And Norway – albeit with a few changes in the last few years – reached the final at the 2017 and 2019 editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship. They had an ace up their sleeve.
His name? Sander Sagosen. Back on the court only recently, after eight months of absence, due to an Achilles injury, Sagosen stole the show in the second-half, morphing from a facilitator – he had four assists in the first-half – into the cold-blooded finisher.
With ice in his veins, Norway back boasted 100 per cent efficiency in attack, scoring five goals from five shots. It was the signal that everything clicked, and Norway was back in it. What happened was that Norway got back their mojo, Serbia lost theirs, and it was as good as game over for Toni Gerona’s side.
Between the 37th and the 54th minutes, Norway went on an otherworldly 13:4 run, preventing Serbia’s powerful attack from shining, like it did in the first half. In total, Serbia only scored 10 goals in the second part.
And it was also due to a crucial change made by an inspired Jonas Wille, who ushered back Torbjorn Bergerud between the posts.
Bergerud, who did not save any of the first 10 shots he faced on goal, starting to stop Serbia’s attack, expertly protected by a strong defensive unit anchored by Christian O’Sullivan and Goran Johanessen, the “hummel Player of the Match”, in the centre. And Norway thrived with it, constantly denying Serbia clear-cut chances.
In the end, what made Serbia great in the first half really bit them in the second part, with the efficiency of the back line dwindling and few answer via their wings and their line player.
It was a true collapse, but it was also an excellent performance from Norway, who played the part of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in this game.
Norway’s 31:28 win helped them cement their place among the top two sides in the group’s standings, tying Germany on six points, with the Netherlands following in the third place, with only four points. With a clash against Qatar following, Norway can seal their fifth win in a row in the competition and edge closer to qualification on Saturday, being heavily favoured against the Asian champions.
On the other side, Serbia’s chances of progression are only virtual, as their losses against Germany and Norway severely hamper their future in the championship.
There are lessons to be learnt by Serbia, and it is more about their experience rather than the core of players, who look sharp.
