The first round three match for Group D saw Norway join their opponents Iceland on four points, as they defeated their Nordic rivals by a clear 10-goal margin. It was Norway’s second victory at the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, following a one-goal defeat to Denmark in round one and an 11-goal win over Chile in round two. 

For Iceland, it was the first taste of defeat, as they had previously recorded a clear victory over Chile and a four-goal win versus Argentina. 

GROUP D
Iceland vs Norway 19:29 (11:17)

Iceland were first on the score board, but the rest of the match clearly belonged to Norway, who took the lead in the fifth minute and never looked back. At the end of the first quarter, Norway were in front 7:3 and when they took a 17:11 advantage into the break, Iceland were clearly in trouble. 

Norway could afford to rotate their line-up constantly, and consequently, at the final whistle, all of their court players had made their way on to the score board. They were led by Ole Naerland as their top scorer, with six goals from as many shots, while goalkeeper Robin Paulsen Haug had an exceptional game with 17 saves at 47%. For Iceland, the top scorer was Orri Freyr Porkelsson with four goals. 

Two of Porkelsson’s goals were scored from the penalty line. With this situation for their top scorer in the game, it was clear how difficult the match was for Iceland. Norway’s attacking efficiency was far higher, and Iceland’s defence struggled, with their two goalkeepers combining for six saves in total. 

With 15 minutes remaining, there was little question Norway would take the victory as they moved in front to 22:15 with a goal from Andreas Horst Haugseng. Iceland fought to reach the 20-goal mark, but Norway were simply stronger. After ranking two places behind Iceland at the U20 EHF EURO 2018, Norway proved the better team on Friday and clinched a comfortable victory.  

Player of the match: Robin Paulsen Haug, Norway