Austria manage win number three at Croatia 2023, beating Slovenia 28:25. Japan win by a razor-thin margin against Argentina 29:28. The third afternoon match did not take place after Burundi withdrew. The score was 10:0 in favour of Bahrain. 

Placement matches 13-16

• Slovenia vs Austria 25:28 (11:15)

Austria ended their negative streak and secured their third win at the 10th IHF Men's Youth World Championship. Even though Austria had an eight-goal lead, Slovenia returned back to the game and made second-half more interesting.

Austria had a dream start to the game, especially Leon Theodor Bergmann, who was a nightmare for Slovenians. The young Austrian goalkeeper had six saves out of seven attempts after only ten minutes and remained on a high efficiency by the end of the first 30 minutes (12/22) saves).

However, the Austrian attack didn't take full advantage of the excellent defensive performance and struggled to get to the most significant lead in the game (13:5). Mistakes and a hasty attack saw Austria lose grip as Slovenia enjoyed a 3-0 goal run and narrowed the gap.

Slovenia continued to pounce, and with a new unanswered run, they set 14:16. Arijan Kovačevuć's third goal in the game gave an additional impetus to the Slovenians, but once again, Leon Theodor Bergmann was their nightmare. Austria propelled to a 21:16 lead and kept the same distance between the two sides until the last ten minutes of the game.

Despite their ups and downs, Austria were efficient from all positions and resisted all of their opponents' attempts to mount a comeback and give us a thrilling finish. It would have been a close game, or even maybe Slovenia would see a win, but when you have a player with an incredible day, like Austria's goalkeeper, it is almost impossible to see your side on the downside.

Austria will fight against Brazil for the 13th place, while Slovenia will have to beat the Islamic Republic of Iran if they want to get their hands o the 15th place. For Austrians, this will be their best ranking at the World Championship.

hummel Player of the Match: Leon Theodor Bergmann (Austria)

Placement Match 21-24

• Japan vs Argentina 29:28 (18:16) 

In an exciting game, a goal from Kippei Furukawa 13 seconds from full-time sealed Japan’s win over Argentina and helped the Japanese side to reach the Placement Match 21/22, where they will face Algeria on Friday. On the same day, Argentina will meet fellow South American team Chile in the Placement Match 23-24. 

Furukawa, who became the top scorer of the match with eight goals, did well at the end and in the opening minutes. His three goals in the first seven minutes lifted the Asian team to a 5:1 lead, which seemed like a perfect start.

Helped by goals from Lucas Obregon and Juan Federico Gull, as well as Santino Diotallevi’s saves, Argentina hit back, as a 4:0 run between minutes 19 and 22 saw them taking a 13:11 lead. However, then Japan turned the tide again, opening a two-goal advantage at the break.

Argentina were again dominant for much of the second half, forcing their rivals to make turnovers and scoring several goals from fast breaks. In the 49th minute, when the South Americans led by six goals (27:21), the game looked almost settled.

However, the Japanese were rewarded for fighting until the end. Argentina scored their last goal in the match in the 53rd minute, making the score 28:23. After that, they missed some shots, and Japan ruthlessly punished them for these mistakes. An unlikely 6:0 run in the final seven minutes helped the Asians to snatch a win. 

hummel Player of the Match: Nicolas Rodriguez (Argentina)

Placement Matches 29-32 

• 15:00 Bahrain vs Burundi 10:0

As Burundi have withdrawn, the match will be counted as 10:0 for Bahrain, who will now play Mexico tomorrow for 29th place. 

Photo: Croatia 2023/Kolektiff images