The three best teams from Group G and just as many from Group H will continue the championship in Main Round IV, and some exciting clashes are expected already on Wednesday. 

Croatia vs Argentina 15:30 CET

While Croatia finished third in Group G and start the main round with zero points, their South American counterparts took the second position in Group H, winning two of their three games, carrying over two points to the next stage.

The Croats, whose three key players tested positive for COVID-19, were obviously disappointed by the 26:28 defeat against Japan in their last group game, as this result has worsened their chances for a quarter-final berth. 

“We played great 50 minutes, but lost concentration in the last 10 minutes and made irrational shots. It was simply associated with the fatigue. I’m sad because I think Japan did not win the game, but we lost it,” Croatia coach Nenad Sostaric said. 

“We can hardly reach the quarter-final now, but we have to beat Argentina and Austria,” he added.

Croatia and Argentina met just once at the World Championship, at Brazil 2011 when the European team won 23:18. Besides, Croatia defeated their opponents at the 2012 Olympic Qualification, 31:21.

However, now Argentina has boosted their confidence by claiming two wins in three group matches. 31:29 against Austria was their first-ever victory against a European side at this level, and they went on to defeat PR of China in a crucial game, 36:24.

Appetite comes with eating, and now Argentina are looking to upset some more opponents.

“We not only passed to the main round, but played very well. Now we need to focus on the match against Croatia, and we’ll try to create another big surprise,” said their coach Eduardo Gallardo. 

Brazil vs Austria 18:00 CET

Brazil enjoyed a perfect record in the previous stage, winning all three matches in Group F and taking four points to the main round. Actually, this is their best start at the World Championship since 2013, when the South American team won the title.

“Now we will start the main round with confidence and try to maintain the level we have shown so far,” Brazil’s line player Tamires Morena Lima said on Monday after the game against Paraguay, won 33:19 by her side.

Now Brazil are seen as favourites against Austria, who finished third in Group H and have no points at the start of the main round.

The two teams met twice at World Championships, and the South American team won both games, 32:29 in 2005 and 38:19 in 2007. 

Much has been said about Austria’s woes at the current tournament, and on Tuesday, Klara Schlegel became their seventh player to test positive for COVID-19. However, there is a chance that some of the four players who missed all three previous matches will be available on Wednesday. 

“Brazil have a very good mix of young and old, and I count them among title contenders. But in the current situation, we are more focused on our team than on the opponents,” said Austria coach Helfried Müller.

“But if some team gives us a chance, we’ll have to take it. It won’t be any easier, but we’ll try to do our best in every game,” he added. 

Spain vs Japan 20:30 CET

Supported by several thousand fans in Torrevieja, Spain faced no problems in the previous round, as they defeated all their rivals in Group H to carry the maximum of four points over to the main round.

Their next mission is to reach the quarter-final, and a win against Japan in the opening main round match would further boost Spain’s chances.

While Carmen Martin and Alexandrina Cabral Barbosa lead the way in attack, having scored 16 and 15 goals, respectively, solid goalkeeping has also contributed to the team’s success so far. On Monday against Austria, both Silvia Navarro and Mercedes Castellanos recorded 10 saves and a 53% save rate. 

“It was essential to maintain the intensity of our game to keep growing and reach the main round with the maximum of points. And there, we will have three real finals,” said Spain coach Jose Ignacio Prades.

Interestingly, now the home team will meet the hosts of the previous World Championship. In 2019, the Japanese town of Kumamoto was a lucky place for Spain, as they won silver for the first time in history.

And so far, it has also worked the other way round, as Japan have been doing quite well in Spain. A surpising win against Croatia helped them to finish second in Group G and take two points to the next stage.

Two years ago, Spain and Japan also faced each other, as the European team earned a hard-fought 33:31 win in the main round. Will history repeat itself this time? 

Photo: RFEBM / Á. Bermejo