The knockout round of the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship comes to the As Travesas Sports Hall with four very interesting eighth-finals in Vigo featuring all three teams with a maximum of 10 points each - the winners of preliminary groups A, B and C in three intercontinental matches and one all-European affair.

In addition to the knockout round, the important 17-24 placement round also gets underway with the chances for developing and new teams to grab historic victories and memorable moments.

EIGHTH-FINALS
Feature match: Tunisia vs Sweden
As Travesas Sports Hall, Vigo, 21:00 local time

While all the focus may be on the sumptuous handball played in the three previous eighth-finals featuring all three teams with a 100% record, the fourth and final last 16 game of the day could be the most intriguing. 

Sweden ended their group B campaign with four wins (8 points) and Tunisia (group A) with three wins (6) and both had quite similar experiences with shocks and strong wins highlighting their best and worst sides.

The Swedes were completely outplayed in their 10-goal loss (32:22) against Egypt, and it could have been more, but they then easily beat the world champions France (27:23). 

Big wins against Nigeria and Australia were the minimum expected and a 34:28 win against Korea on the opening day saw Jerry Hallback’s side off to the best start – they have a number of impressive stats after the preliminary round, including Gustav Davidsson leading the ranking in assists (19 – 3.8 per game) and the highest conversion rate of shots to goals (67.7% - 168 goals from 248 attempts).

The Swedes look to Gustaf Wedberg to score the goals (22) alongside Karl Wallinius (18) and Samuel Lindberg (19) but they will face their second North African side at Spain 2019 in Tunisia, who are hoping for a win to put them in the final eight which will equal their third-best place in the competition (after 3rd in 2011, 7th in 2017 and 8th in 1997).

Centre back Mohamed Amine Darmoul has lived up to his key player tag, top-scoring for his side with 32 goals so far and tied sixth in the overall scoring ranking. His goals have helped Tunisia navigate some rocky waters, but the team has warmed up as the tournament has gone on. Losses against Slovenia and host nation Spain were clear, and their frailty was exposed in a tight 21:19 win against Japan and a first half where they were behind for long periods in the match against the USA which they eventually won 36:19. 

However, the final day 29:23 win over Serbia showed their strengths as they competed against the physicality easily to win clearly and deal with the pressure of the match which was a 3/4 place play-off for the group.

Alongside Darmoul, Hassen Njim and Mohamed Aziz Aidi – who has been given more freedom by coach Mohamed Ali Sghir – form the big threat from Tunisia in a match which will be fascinating to watch.

The best in Vigo – all three teams with maximum points at Spain 2019 come to As Travesas

Perhaps the strongest team in the championship, Egypt, take on Serbia at 14:15 (local time) with the North African side looking to continue their perfect record in the championship against the European side who can fight with the best but have fallen just short – so far.

Like Egypt (Group B), Slovenia also finished top of their preliminary group (A) with a maximum 10 points, and they have been very impressive so far quickly becoming one of the standout teams at Spain 2019 alongside Croatia and the Egyptians.

Korea await the Slovenians, but the normally fluid and dominant counter-attacking team have had an under par tournament so far with only the expected wins against Nigeria and Australia. On the evidence so far the European champions should beat them to set up a quarter-final against Portugal or Germany.

The all-European eighth-final is between Croatia and Iceland. The Croatians have come from one of the toughest preliminary groups unscathed and just under a year ago they beat the Iceland side 31:27 in the first match of the 5-8 Placement Round at the Men’s U20 EHF EURO in Slovenia.

Placement Round 17-24

For developing nations and those who are experiencing their first world championship, the 17-24 placement round provides a perfect opportunity for experience and the chance to grab a win on the global stage.

The opening day in Vigo sees the USA take on Australia with both teams awaiting their first win of Spain 2019 and who both finished bottom of their preliminary groups. Australia, with the youngest squad at Spain 2019 have had many impressive moments in their five matches so far and will be desperate to grab a victory and some revenge against the team which beat them 31:20 at the 2019 IHF Men’s Trophy Intercontinental Phase in Kosovo back in April.

But it is likely that the USA will end the day with their first win after Julio Sainz’s side were squeezed out by Japan in their last preliminary round match and held Tunisia for large parts of the first half, highlighting their rapid progression on the world platform.

Japan and Nigeria play in the first round of the 17-20 Placement and both have one win to their name so far. The Asian side, missing the influential left back Adam Yuki Baig, will be the most disappointed of the two though as two near-wins against Tunisia and Serbia ended in defeats.

These losses ultimately saw them fail to move through to the knockout stage where they will be desperate to avoid their worst ranking ever in the tournament (20th, previous lowest, 19th) as the country starts preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next year.

Follow all the games live on IHF.info.

Wednesday 24 July - As Travesas Sports Hall
All times local

Eighth-Finals
14:15     Egypt vs Serbia
16:30     Slovenia vs Korea
18:45     Croatia vs Iceland
21:00     Tunisia vs Sweden

Placement Round 17-24
09:45    Placement 21-24: United States of America vs Australia
12:00    Placement 17-20: Japan vs Nigeria

Read about the playing system for the Eighth-Finals and Placement Round 17-24 HERE.