Brazil bounced back after their semi-finals loss against the United States of America, dominating the bronze medal match at the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship against France, 2:0, to secure a place on the podium.

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH
Brazil vs France 2:0 (12:8; 12:5)

Reigning champions Brazil were left reeling after the semi-final against the United States of America, conceding their maiden loss in 12 matches at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship. Still, the South American side had to bounce back if they were to save something from this edition of the competition and the bronze medal match against France was the perfect setting.

For that, the reigning champions needed to pay attention to what France did, as the European debutants first eliminated unbeaten Portugal in the quarter-finals and then took the game to Egypt in the semi-finals, conceding a loss only with a golden goal scored by the African side in the extra-time of the second set.

But Brazil, which were underwhelming in attack throughout the whole competition, delivered one of their best performances, dominating France from start to finish, in a superb attacking display, the first match in which they scored at least 10 points in each set throughout the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship.

Understanding that they need to kick up a gear, Brazil were virtually unstoppable at times, both in the first set and in the second set, as their top players, Guilherme Lourenco and Anderson Ferreira combined for 15 points in the match. Moreover, Brazil’s attacking efficiency in the bronze medal match was otherworldly, 78%, nearly triple than France’s 30%.

France could only stay close to Brazil until the halfway point in the first set, 6:6, when the South American side kicked it up a notch and started the needed stops in defence, while the turnovers caused turned into easy points on the board, as Brazil jumped to a 12:8 win.

There was no stopping Brazil in the second half, as they had only four players on the scoreboard – Lourenco leading the way with 10, followed by Ferreira and Dione Nunes Schug with five points each, while captain Marcelo Amaral, who also shined between the posts, had four points.

France’s Fatih Cuhadar scored 10 of his team’s 13 points, but it was too little for the European side, which also conceded the second set, 5:12, with Brazil delivering their best performance at Egypt 2024 when it mattered, to clinch a place on the podium and win the bronze medal match against France, 2:0.

With their fifth win in six matches, Brazil ended up on the podium, two places down from the 2022 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, a sign that they will have to continue expanding the programme. On the other hand, France, which had two wins in six matches, finished fourth, an excellent performance for a team making their debut in the world wheelchair handball flagship competition.