Slovenia salvaged a late draw against Norway, 33:33, in the first match in Group A at Poland 2025, while both Denmark and Sweden each scored over 40 goals in their wins against Morocco and the Republic of Korea respectively.Ț

GROUP A
Norway vs Slovenia 33:33 (17:12)

The two European sides faced off in the Group A opener, and after a slow start, Slovenia significantly improved to snatch a dramatic draw from Norway in the closing seconds of the game.

Slovenia’s Aljuš Anžič opened the scoring, but his team had to wait eight minutes for their next goal. Meanwhile, Henrik Ibsen made several key saves — including a 7m shot by Anžič — and Norway's fast-paced attack tore through Slovenia’s defence, racing to an impressive 8:1 lead.

Nejc Hriberšek’s goal ended Slovenia’s drought and sparked a much-needed confidence boost as their attack began to find rhythm. However, Jon Turk was shown a direct red card for a rough challenge on Luka Kačičnik, and Norway capitalized with another 3:0 run, extending their lead to 16:8 in the 24th minute.

Slovenia responded by changing goalkeepers, and Mark Salamon quickly made an impact. Hriberšek also stepped up, scoring five goals before halftime and helping Slovenia close the half with a 4:1 run. Although still trailing, the five-goal deficit gave them hope for a second-half comeback.

Slovenia carried that momentum into the second half, steadily reducing the gap. A 3:0 run, powered by Anžič, brought them within one goal at 22:21. They continued to apply pressure, but Norway managed to maintain a narrow lead — one, two, or three goals — for most of the half.

However, a series of Norwegian mistakes and turnovers gave Slovenia the opening they needed. With just over a minute left, Lucijan Korošec scored from his own half into an empty net, leveling the game at 32:32.

Norway called a timeout, and Player of the Match Henrik Hartz Hagen netted his 10th goal with 10 seconds remaining, putting Norway back in front. But the drama wasn’t over. Slovenia used their final timeout, and Žan Korže Lešjak delivered the equalizer in the dying moments, sparking celebrations on the Slovenian bench.

Player of the Match: Henrik Hartz Hagen (Norway)

GROUP C
Sweden vs Republic of Korea 42:31 (20:14)

After missing out on the 2023 IHF Men's Junior World Championship, the Republic of  Korea returned with determination and fighting spirit. However, they were unable to upset Sweden, who secured a convincing 42:31 victory.

Sweden capitalized on their steady attacking rhythm as Korea struggled to find offensive solutions in the early stages. Neither side impressed between the posts, but Sweden were more clinical and surged to an early 8:2 lead.

Still, the passionate Korean side refused to back down. Switching to an aggressive 3-3 defence, they disrupted Sweden’s flow and gradually worked their way back into the game. With the help of Jinhyeok Moon, they managed to cut the deficit to 11:8 midway through the first half.

Their push prompted a well-timed Swedish timeout — and it proved to be exactly what was needed. Sweden responded with a 4:1 run to regain full control, entering halftime with a six-goal cushion. Isak Borg and Love Sundewall led the charge for the Europeans, while Korea leaned heavily on the efforts of Jinhyeok Moon, Hyeonmin Kim, Minhyuk Kwak, and Minjun Lee.

Korea, the 2024 Asian Men's Junior Championship silver medallists, showed resilience in the second half, always finding ways to stay within reach — until the 40-minute mark, when the momentum began to shift.

Korean errors began to mount, halting their progress. Sweden took full advantage, launching another scoring surge that pushed their lead into double digits — reaching 35:25 and effectively sealing the result.
Axel Månsson and Elliot Eriksson topped Sweden’s scoring chart with eight goals each. On the Korean side, Jinhyeok Moon once again stood out, netting six times and remaining their most reliable performer throughout.

Sweden will next face the United States on Friday, while Korea will prepare for an all-Asian clash against Japan.

Player of the Match: Isak Borg (Sweden)

GROUP E
Denmark vs Morocco 43:31 (21:18)

While Denmark were overwhelming favourites in this match against Morocco, after this generation clinched the silver medal at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, the Scandinavian side never had a dull moment against the African side in their opener at Poland 2025, as Morocco led for the first 20 minutes of the match.

Most importantly, the African side could match their more experienced opponents in attack, delivering a flawless performance, with right back Amjad Saa, left back Youness Mansari and line player Mohamed Bouydarne firing from all cylinders, each having six goals scored until the 45th minute.

Morocco started the game strong, taking a 5:2 lead after four minutes, keeping Denmark guessing, especially as the Danish side failed to produce anything between the posts, with their two goalkeepers averaging a meagre 15% saving efficiency after 19 minutes. By that point, the African side were up 12:9 and looked in control.

But it was still a matter of trying to keep up for the whole 60 minutes with Denmark’s fast pace and in the end, this proved too much for Morocco, which had only six players on the scoresheet after 50 minutes.

The MVP of the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Frederik Pedersen, then took over, scoring six goals and delivering four assists before he was sent to the bench in the closing stages of the match, with a 6:2 run for Denmark turning the match on its head and seeing the Scandinavian side take the lead, 16:15, with eight minutes to go in the first half.

Morocco then tried to come back, tied the score, 17:17, but it was the last time when they really had a chance to keep up with Denmark. After a 21:18 scoreline at the break, Denmark managed the gap brilliantly until the final stages of the match, when Morocco’s turnovers started to pile up.

With a fantastic fast break penchant from right wing Magnus Pedersen, who scored 10 goals, the gap ballooned to 10 goals late in the second half, eventually Denmark clinching a clear 43:31 win, to throw off their campaign with a dominating attacking performance before meeting Mexico and France.

Player of the Match: Youness Mansari (Morocco)