The opening day of the President’s Cup ended with two matches in Group II. Two teams claimed their maiden wins at the tournament, as the People’s Republic of China proved too strong for Egypt, and Cuba completed a comeback against Kazakhstan.

President’s Cup Group II
Egypt vs People’s Republic of China 32:35 (17:21)

While the People’s Republic of China are playing at their 19th straight World Championship, Egypt are debutants at this level. The more experienced Asians were the dominant side throughout the encounter, denying their African rivals a historic win.  

Right back Chan Liu stood out in the Chinese attack, scoring 10 goals, while her teammate Chang Lu impressed in goal, delivering 15 saves. For Egypt, left back Lojin Osama also scored 10 goals, earning her the hummel Player of the Match award, but her effort was not enough.  

China quickly took the game under control, leading 8:4 by the 10th minute. In addition to Chan Liu, right wing Pingping Zhang also played an important role in the Chinese attack before the break, and thanks to this unstoppable duo, the Asian side pulled clear by four goals at half-time, 21:17.  

Early in the second half, China extended the gap to seven goals (25:18), but Egypt did not give up and continued to fight. Between minutes 44 and 49, Osama’s string of goals secured a 4:0 run, cutting the gap to 28:30. With three minutes to play, the Asians still led by two goals, 33:31, but China scored twice to remove all doubt.  

hummel Player of the Match: Lojin Osama (Egypt)

Cuba vs Kazakhstan 29:28 (12:14)

The goalkeepers of both sides stood out in the first half, as Cuba’s Danielys Herrán and Kazakhstan’s Zhannat Aitenova both boasted a 44% save efficiency. However, Kazakhstan had the upper hand early on, as goals from Irina Khassakhanova and Mariya Sitnikova powered them to a 6:2 lead.  

Nevertheless, Cuba gradually started to find their rhythm. While Herrán did well in goal, her teammate Lorena Téllez stepped up in attack, netting six of her 10 goals in the opening 30 minutes. Although the Central Americans failed to catch up before half-time, they cut the deficit to just two goals, 12:14, and set up hopes for a comeback in the second half.  

After a long chase, Cuba finally drew level in the 42nd minute (19:19), and a few minutes later, the unstoppable Téllez put them in front (21:20). Cuba gained momentum and continued to push ahead, leading 28:24 with nearly five minutes remaining.  

But Kazakhstan did not give up and responded with a 4:0 run, as Khassakhanova drew level with her ninth goal of the day with one minute to play. However, the Asians were unable to snatch the win in this dramatic match, as right wing Odalys Escalona secured Cuba’s victory in their final attack.  

hummel Player of the Match: Lorena Téllez (Cuba)