With two wins in their first two games, Brazil have secured first place in Group G and will start the main round with four points, but everything will be still in play in the last match of the group, as Croatia and Japan, who have both earned their main round berths, go head-to-head in a fiery clash with important points ready to be taken.

The winner will start the main round with two points, while the other side will start the next round with zero points and slim chances to make it through to the knockout phase of the competition.

Brazil vs Paraguay 18:00 CET

Brazil will definitely celebrate their 90th game at the IHF Women’s World Championship, as they will be heavily favourited against Paraguay, despite having already secured first place in Group G, progressing to the main round with four points.

It took two nearly identical wins, 30:25 against Croatia and 29:25 against Japan to be here and now they are on point to secure their best finish in the world flagship handball competition since winning the title in 2013.

“I credit the group for being very strong, because in the match against Japan we overcame a tough situation and we really managed to sneak the win,” said Brazil’s coach, Cristiano Silva.
    
A game against Paraguay awaits Brazil now, with two teams heading in opposite directions, but who know each other very well, clashing in the Pabellón Ciutat de Castelló. While Brazil are definitely going to the main round, Paraguay will play in the President’s Cup Group II, facing the four-placed teams from Groups E, F and H from the preliminary round.

Brazil and Paraguay, continental rivals, have met eight times with Brazil winning by a whopping margin of 23.3 goals per game. More recently, the two sides met in September, at the 2021 South and Central America Handball Confederation Women's Championship, when Brazil secured a big win, 42:17.

The script will likely be the same in Castelló, despite Brazil having already won the group, irrespective of the results from the last match day of the preliminary round.

The South and Central American champions will probably hand some rest to key players, like back Bruna de Paula and right wing Adriana Cardoso, who have combined for 21 of Brazil’s 59 goals at Spain 2021.

Paraguay will look to limit the damage, after posting a -45 goal difference after the first two games in the competition, an improvement from the last time they played in a four-team group in the preliminary round, when they had a -97 goal difference at France 2007, in their maiden tournament at the IHF Women’s World Championship.

Croatia vs Japan 20:30 CET

A team used to shocking their opponents, by tricking them into difficult situations as the underdog will now play once again as the favourite, trying to finish the preliminary round at Spain 2021 with a win.

Croatia have definitely not been their best selves in the first two matches, a loss against Brazil, 25:30, and a win against Paraguay, 38:16, with the game against Japan being key in extending their stay in the tournament.

With Brazil having already secured a four-point tally in the main round with their wins against the two sides fighting in this last match of the group, the game between Croatia and Japan will be paramount, as the winner will take two points in the main round.

As Croatia’s coach Nenad Sostaric has previously stated, defence will be the key point for the European team once again, as Japan are deploying their usual fast style of play, which can derail any preparation if not fully connected in the game.

“The game against Paraguay was very important to us, because we could bounce back after the loss against Japan. We know that winning it would give us our confidence back, so we are building now step by step.

“Paraguay are a good team, but Japan are even stronger, with the same fast style, deadly on fast breaks. Therefore, we need to stop them,” said Sostaric, after the 38:16 win against the South American team.

The Asian team, who finished 10th at Japan 2019, lost the only game against Croatia, 30:31, in the preliminary round at Russia 2005, but has been getting better and better against European teams, clinching a straightforward win against Romania, 37:20, two years ago.

They have outscored Croatia, 65 goals to 63 in the first two matches, with back Natsuki Aizawa taking her tally to 10 goals against Paraguay and Brazil. On the other side, Croatia’s back, Valentina Blazevic, had 13 goals, as the European side needs a win to leapfrog Japan in the standings, as their goal difference, +17, is two goals lower than Japan’s.

Photo: RFEBM / Á. Bermejo