Japan secured their first top-16 finish at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship since 1985, with a 35:28 in the Asian derby against the Republic of Korea, with both the Asian side and Sweden progressing to the next phase.

Hosts Poland will now face a mountain to climb to qualify for the main round when they face Norway, after conceding a painful and heavy loss against Slovenia, 21:31, with Slovenia securing their main round spot with at least a draw tomorrow against Uruguay.

GROUP A
Poland vs Slovenia 21:31 (9:14)

After salvaging a draw against Norway in their first match at Poland 2025, Slovenia beat the home side, Poland, and now have three points on their account. With a Saturday win over Uruguay, where they are overwhelming favourites, the Slovenia team will secure their main round spot, while Poland, who remain on two points, will face Norway in a do-or-die encounter.

In their opening match on Wednesday, the home side had nearly hit the 40-goal mark, celebrating a 39:16 win over Uruguay. But now they faced much tougher opposition. Poland were brought down to earth early in the match, as they needed nearly eight minutes to score their first goal. Slovenia opened up a 3:0 lead before Patryk Vasiak finally broke the deadlock from the 7m line.

However, the hosts continued to struggle in attack, finding it hard to shoot past Mark Šalamon, who boasted a 44% save rate before the break. Slovenia had a better team performance, relying on Aljuš Anžič and Arijan Kovačević in attack, and continued to dominate. Žan Korže Lesjak also rose to prominence late in the opening half, spurring a 3:0 run that handed his team a 12:6 lead before Poland slightly cut the gap at the interval.

Further saves from Šalamon – he made 15 throughout the game for a 44% save rate – helped Slovenia maintain their superiority after the break. The Slovenes started the second half with a 7:2 run, which secured them a double-digit lead (21:11) by the 41st minute, and they maintained this 10-goal advantage until the final whistle.

Šalamon, who was deservedly named Player of the Match, even scored a goal – and so did 13 of Slovenia’s 14 outfield players, as their squad was heavily rotated. Lun Ključanin became the top scorer with seven goals, and his team took a big step toward the main round.

Player of the Match: Mark Šalamon (Slovenia)




GROUP C
Japan vs Republic of Korea 35:28 (22:15)

Japan and the Republic of Korea met once again, just like in the final of the 2024 Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship, and once again, the outcome was the same: Japan came out on top and secured their place in the main round.

As expected, the clash between Japan and Korea unfolded at a blistering pace, with goals coming in quick succession from both sides. The first team to break away slightly was Japan, thanks to several key saves from Ryo Komoda, which helped them build a narrow 7:4 lead.

Korea managed to stay within reach up until the 20th minute, but then Japan made their move. Head coach Kenji Toyoda introduced a 7-vs-6 tactic, using the extra attacking player to open up space and create easier scoring chances. It worked perfectly, as Japan went on a run that pushed the lead to six. Korea were forced to call a timeout to reset, but it didn't bring the result they were hoping for.

They continued to struggle against Japan's compact defence, and even when they had opportunities to score on the empty goal, they failed to capitalize. As halftime drew closer, Japan remained in full control and, shortly before the break, stretched their lead to +7.

Korea opened the second half with renewed energy and fire. Led by Joungou Kim, they produced a 4:0 run, cutting Japan's seven-goal halftime lead down to just three at 22:19. Japan, surprisingly passive, scored their first goal of the half only after seven minutes of play.

Just as the momentum seemed to shift, Japan managed to settle their game again. Korea continued to pounce, pushing the tempo, but Japan reacted well, and the introduction of Aoto Yamazaki in goal gave them a new push. With two key saves in quick succession, he helped Japan maintain the gap. With ten minutes remaining, Japan entered the closing stretch holding a 29:25 lead.

Korea managed to cut the gap to three goals on two more occasions, but in the decisive moments, Kotaro Tachibana stepped up with two crucial goals from the wing, pushing the score out of reach and effectively sealing both the win and Japan's main round spot.

The 35:28 victory not only confirmed Japan's progress in the competition but also marked a historic moment. With this result, Japan are guaranteed their first top-16 finish since 1985. In their previous three appearances — in 2015, 2019, and 2023 — they finished 18th twice and 19th once.

Player of the Match: Haruto Nagamori (Japan)