Group D is tight, who will end the day feeling right?

22 Jul. 2019

Group D is tight, who will end the day feeling right?

The final round of games in Group D gets underway today at the Pavillon Municipal de Deportes de Pontevedra with two Europe vs South America clashes followed by a table-topping match-up.

First up is Norway vs Argentina, with Denmark vs Chile straight after and the group ends with Germany vs Iceland which could decide who tops the group.

GROUP D
Feature match: Germany vs Iceland
Pavillon Municipal de Deportes de Pontevedra – 14:00hrs local time

At the beginning of the day, Germany, Denmark and Iceland were on six points each and Norway on four. With Norway expected to beat Argentina and move up to six, this clash becomes important for two reasons.

Firstly, Denmark will be expected to beat Chile and move to eight points, so if there is a winner between Germany and Iceland, then they will be on eight points. If it is Germany, Denmark will win the group, having beaten them 30:25 earlier in the preliminary round, but if it is Iceland, then they will win the group, having beaten the Danes 25:22 last time out.

The second reason for the importance of this match is the battle for third spot in the group. Should there be a loser and should Norway win, either Germany or Iceland and the Norwegians, will both be on six points and with Norway beating Iceland clearly (29:19) and losing to Germany by nearly the same score (29:20) then third place – assuming Denmark move up to eight points and out of third-place contention with a win against Chile – is completely unknown.

The statistics say it will be a defensive match with Germany’s Till Klimpke impressive so far at Spain 2019, making the most saves in the competition (43/109 – 39%) in his four games, averaging 10.75 per match while, as a team, Iceland have conceded the second fewest in four games, with 22 (behind Spain – 20.25).

And even on past event history there is little to separate these two teams – a 25:25 draw at the 2018 M20 EURO in Slovenia a year ago to the day saw a frantic match in which the Germans threw away a 16:12 half-time lead. 

Europe vs South America twice

Norway take on Argentina in the morning game with the European side expected to beat the South Americans who lost to regional rivals Chile in an upset last time around. If, as expected, Norway take the victory, they will move up to six points with three wins, the same as Germany, Denmark and Iceland, ahead of the two remaining group D games.

Chile, buoyed by that upset of Argentina will take on Denmark in the other game, but face an uphill struggle as the Danes look to grab two points and take a group victory.

Group D – Pavillon Municipal de Deportes de Pontevedra: Monday 22 July
All times local

10:00 NOR vs ARG
12:00 DEN vs CHI
14:00 GER vs ISL