France and Spain improved their chances for a better finish at the 2025 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship with wins over Austria and Croatia respectively, with both ensuring a top-10 finish at the end of the competition.

Uruguay secured their maiden win at Poland 2025, 24:22 against Mexico, in the Placement Matches 29-32, leaving the North American side to search their first win in the last match of the competition, on Friday.

Placement Matches 9-12
Austria vs France 24:27 (9:15)

Both sides were obviously frustrated by not reaching the quarter-final, but each of them aim to leave the tournament on a high - and France somewhat raised their spirits after a confident win. Tomorrow, they will end the tournament with a Placement Match 9-10, while Austria will fight for the 11th overall ranking.

Austria took a 2:1 lead early in the game before their rivals seized the initiative and used a 3:0 run to pull in front 4:2. France never gave up their lead afterwards, and they had an excellent spell between the 16th and 26th minutes, scoring fine unanswered goals to increase the gap to 13:7. Notably, their goalkeeper Noé Rataboul stopped eight shots for a 47% saving rate before the break, contributing to his team’s six-goal lead after 30 minutes.

The Austrian goalkeeping was less reliable - Leon Theodor Bergmann, one of the best goalkeepers of the tournament, had a below-par 17% saving efficiency before being replaced by Marko Bogojevic in the second half. However, Michael Draca’s team improved their attack, and led by left wing Elmar Böhm, who ended the game with seven goals and became the Player of the Match, they tried to hit back. 

Midway through the second half, Austria cut the gap to just three goals, 20:23 and continued to put pressure on their rivals later on. But France could also rely on their left wing - Naël Tighiouart stood out with his 10 goals, as his team maintained their superiority, eventually taking a three-goal win. 

Player of the Match: Elmar Böhm (Austria)

Croatia vs Spain 31:34 (14:14)

Spain, who had failed to reach the quarter-finals, opened the Placement Matches 9-12 with a hard-fought victory against Croatia. Thanks to this result, the Spaniards will fight for ninth place at Poland 2025 against France, while Croatia will wrap up the tournament with the Placement Match 11-12 versus Austria.

A couple of early goals from Djordje Cikusa i Jelicic gave Spain a slight edge at 3:2, but Croatia responded with a 3:0 run to pull ahead. With strong defense, the Balkan side built a three-goal lead on several occasions and were still in front 14:12 with one minute left in the first half. However, goals from Xavier Gonzalez and Alberto Delgado brought Spain level just before the break.

After the restart, Spain picked up where they left off, opening the second half with a 3:0 run. Goalkeeper Pau Panitti Martinez performed well, but Croatia refused to surrender and quickly hit back, led by Jura Egon Juranic.

Both teams made numerous mistakes and turnovers, and they were tied at 21:21 ten minutes into the second half. In the following six minutes, three goals from Victor Romero sparked a 5:0 run for Spain. The momentum shifted again, and with five minutes remaining, Croatia narrowed the gap to just one goal at 28:29. However, they couldn't get any closer, and Spain—who scored eight goals from fast breaks—secured the win.

Player of the Match: Victor Romero (Spain)

Placement Matches 21-24

Argentina vs Morocco 32:33 (30:30, 14:11)

Morocco booked their spot in the Placement Match 21/22 after a hard-fought 33:32 win over Argentina, in a battle that needed 60 minutes, a level finish, and a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.

After a balanced start, Argentina created a three-goal cushion with a 4:0 unanswered run led by Lucas Obregon, and held that lead at the break (14:11). Their transition play in the first half worked well, limiting Morocco's chances and controlling the rhythm.

Morocco came out with renewed energy in the second half. A string of saves from Jalil El Mouadar sparked a goal run, and his team gradually closed the gap to just one goal midway through the half (18:19), putting pressure back on Argentina. The momentum slowly shifted.

When Lhoucine Ouhmou netted for 22:22, Morocco finally equalised and from there, it was back and forth until the buzzer. El Mouadar's save in the final minute secured a 30:30 draw and pushed the match into penalties.

In the penalty shoot-out, Morocco stayed cooler under pressure. Two big saves and one Argentinian miss gave them the edge, and Adam Faddal slotted the final penalty to seal the win and a battle for 21st place against Tunisia.

Player of the Match: Lhoucine Ouhmou (Morocco)

Republic of Korea vs Tunisia 29:31 (19:14)

Tunisia pulled off a stunning second-half comeback to take down the Republic of Korea and book a place in the Placement Match 21/22, where they will face Morocco—a replay of the 2024 African Men's Junior Championship semi-final. Korea, after a heavy collapse, will meet Argentina in the fight for 23rd place.

From the first minute, Korea dictated the pace and tempo, forcing Tunisia to play their fast rhythm. A 6:0 unanswered run, paired with excellent goalkeeping from Hyeonmin Kim, who had nine saves from 22 shots in the first half, pushed Korea to a 12:5 lead midway through the half.

Tunisia showed some resistance before the break, closing the gap slightly to 14:19, but Korea had not lost control. However, the second half brought a different story. Tunisia switched to a 3-3 defence, pressing higher and catching Korea off guard. Goalkeeper Mohamed Aziz Ben Hassine stepped up with four crucial saves, and Tunisia caught up at 24:24.

Korea struggled to find answers as Tunisia kept pressing. Three late turnovers opened the door wide, and Tunisia came through. They took the lead in the final minute, and one more save from Ben Hassine sealed a dramatic 31:29 win.

Player of the Match: Mohamed Seifeddine Ben Abdennebi (Tunisia)

Placement Matches 29-32

Uruguay vs Mexico 24:22 (12:10)

Uruguay celebrated their maiden win at Poland 2025 and their second-ever victory at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, following their previous win over Chile at Brazil 2015. The South Americans finally ended their five-game losing streak at Poland 2025, while Mexico suffered their sixth consecutive defeat.

For the first time in the competition, Uruguay surpassed the 20-goal mark, with 11 players getting on the scoresheet. Player of the Match Joaquin Restano and Emiliano Salles each netted five times, while goalkeeper Julian Pomi made a significant contribution with 11 saves.

Mexico’s Juan Anguilano scored seven goals, but it wasn’t enough for his team’s long-awaited win, as only six Mexican players found the net in this closely contested match.

The Central Americans took an early 4:2 lead, but Uruguay responded with a 4:0 run and maintained a slight dominance for most of the game. With five minutes remaining, Uruguay led by just one goal at 21:20, but they scored three consecutive goals in the crucial moments to secure the victory.

Player of the Match: Joaquin Restano (Uruguay)