Slovakia secured first place in Group II of the President’s Cup after their second win in three days, 33:27, against Paraguay.

The European side will now feature in the final of the President’s Cup against the winner of Group I on 15 December in Llíria.

PRESIDENT’S CUP GROUP II
Slovakia vs Paraguay 33:27 (16:15)

With the People’s Republic of China withdrawing from the 25th IHF Women’s World Championship due to a positive COVID-19 case in their delegation, Slovakia would win Group II of the President’s Cup with a victory over Paraguay.

And for the first 11 minutes of the game, they looked like they had the game against the South American side in the bag, ploughing their way to a 9:5 lead. While right wing Bibiana Stefanikova and right back Barbora Lancz were basically unstoppable for Slovakia, combining for nine goals in the first half, the European side was plagued by a flurry of turnovers.

Those eight balls Slovakia conceded to Paraguay in the first 30 minutes were the foundation on which the South American team built its comeback, with a good 63% shooting efficiency, their best at Spain 2021 so far.

Left wing Fatima Acuna and line player Sabina Fiore, two of Paraguay’s most experienced players, had 11 of their side’s 15 goals in the first half, as the South American team tied the game at 12, with six minutes to go, only for Slovakia to boast the slightest of leads at half-time, 16:15.

Therefore, it was always going to be a question about Paraguay and their depth, coming in the second half, in their fifth game at Spain 2021. And the answer was pretty clear, once the tired legs set in during the last 15 minutes of the second half.

Backed by a superb game from Lancz, who led the way with nine goals, Slovakia used a 5:2 run between the 44th and the 49th minutes to open an unassailable 25:20 gap, especially as Paraguay started to rely only on line player Fiore, who scored eight goals and also secured two penalties for her side.

With their efficiency dropping and the turnovers mounting, Paraguay had nothing to offer in attack and failed to stop Slovakia in defence, with the goalkeeping saves drying up. It basically set Slovakia to seal an easy win, 33:27, their second at Spain 2021, tying their historical amount at the IHF Women’s World Championship.

Slovakia secure first place in Group II of the President’s Cup, with three wins, against Tunisia, Paraguay and China, as they will face the winner of Group I in the President’s Cup final, which also serves as the 25/26 placement match at Spain 2021.

Paraguay still have a tough clash against Tunisia scheduled, with the South American side in need of a win to secure second place in the group, which will feature in the 27/28 placement match.

hummel Player of the Match: Barbora Lancz, Slovakia

Photo: RFEBM / J. Navarro