Well-rested and eager to show their skills, young handball players from 16 countries will take the courts in Varaždin and Rijeka on the third day of the 10th IHF Men's Youth World Championship.

Hosts Croatia want to extend their winning streak in front of their fans, going through to the main round and taking Portugal if they beat Algeria. Rijeka will witness an all-Balkan duel as North Macedonia will seek their first win on the account of Montenegro.

Denmark, Slovenia, Hungary and Austria all have a chance to secure their second-straight win and reach their first objective for the 10th IHF Men's Youth World Championship and Georgia want to make a surprise against Norway.

Group A

• 15:30 CEST Algeria vs Portugal

Portugal are eyeing the main round spot and are eager to set their feet on the second win at Croatia 2023 against yet another African side. Portugal had no worries against Rwanda on the first day in Varaždin, winning by a 26-goal margin.

While the true test awaits them against hosts Croatia on the final group day, Algeria will be a much stronger opponent and ideal to test certain players and tactical ideas. Against Rwanda, Portugal were efficient from all positions, with José Ferreira and Nuno Oliveira leading the way with nine and eight goals, respectively.

"We will face a typically African team, much more organised than Rwanda. I think we are going to face a team with simple handball, maybe without great tactical content, but with some atypicality. African teams always have that characteristic, and I hope that we can quickly adapt to that and win," said Portuguese head coach Nuno Santos for portal.fpa.pt.

Algeria had a tough time against Croatia, netting only 19 times while being unable to stop Croats in an impressive offensive display. Pawing their way back after six-year hiatus, the African side wants to show what they are capable of and maybe even make Portugal sweat for a little. All that while trying to improve their attacking skills, as their shot efficiency was only 42%, and even lower 22% when looking at their nine-metre statistics.

• 19:30 CEST Croatia vs Rwanda

Hosts Croatia have high hopes for the IHF Men's Youth World Championship and they are boosting their confidence with an offensive display at the start of the competition. After a no-question win against Algeria, they are ready to enter the fray with the second African side, Rwanda and seal their main round berth.

Croatia, as always, have numerous talents in their squad and in the first game against Algeria, the spotlight was on Marko Tkalec, Tonći Ivanišević and Poreč's Marko Bajan. However, their main force against Rwanda will also be the goalkeeper duo Tin Herceg and Marko Prpić, both showing good skills in the Croatian league.

"Against Algeria, we stuck to the agreement from the beginning; the defence was solid, in attack, we played well and the focus was on the desired level. We broke the ice and I hope we can only do better than this in the upcoming matches," said "hummel Player of the Match" Vito Glivetić.

Debutants Rwanda surprised everyone at the 2022 CAHB African Men's Youth Handball Championship, going all the way to the final and taking the silver medal. Style of play and moment of surprise have not worked yet at Croatia 2023 but they hope they will at least keep up with the hosts longer than in the opener against Portugal. Samuel Mbesutunguwe was their top scorer with eight goals but he was also taking the responsibility with 15 shots altogether.

Group B

• 13:30 CEST New Zealand vs Hungary

Hungary can seal their main round spot with a second consecutive win at the competition, provided Slovenia also beat Morocco. They will not have a problem against New Zealand, who had a tough opening, setting the largest-ever loss in the history of the IHF Men's Youth World Championship losing 11:60 to Slovenia.

Young Hungarian players have high placement in their minds, especially after finishing fourth at the M18 EHF EURO 2022 and there are good chances they will fight for the first spot in the group against Slovenia, deciding who is taking two points with them to the main round. In order to prepare for it, they will make sure the most important players get a rest while others can have a more relaxed day. However, we still might see Zsombor Szepesi trying to top his eight-goal outing against Morocco.

New Zealand might have a tough start to the competition, but the team is proud of being at the flagship competition. With handball not being in the focus in the country, they have been fighting hard to make their way to Croatia. Led by the Pringot brothers, New Zealand aim to make progress and gain important experience, maybe even their first win ever.

• 17:30 CEST Slovenia vs Morocco

Slovenia are coming in with strong impetus after a 60:11 win over New Zealand where the European side showed impressive shooting skills and took advantage of opponents' mistakes. Surely, against Morocco, they will have a much tougher task, but Slovenians want to improve and make progress after finishing 11th at the M18 EHF EURO 2022.

Most goals Slovenia scored from the fast break and they will keep the high pace and easy goals as their main force against the African side, who has had a tough time finding the right momentum in recent years. Luka Kačičnik and Žiga Belej took the lead against New Zealand, both with scoring efficiency above 90%.

Morocco's backcourt line was the efficient side in their first encounter at Croatia 2023, but lack of strength and experience in the whole team didn't give them a chance to end in a more successful way.

They are aware even tougher task is ahead of them, but the 2022 CAHB African Men's Youth Handball Championship bronze medallist want to prepare as best as they can to clinch their first win against New Zealand on the last group day.

 

 

Group E

• 13:30 CEST Mexico vs Denmark

Mexico are enjoying their second-ever appearance at the IHF Men's Youth World Championship and are dreaming of their first-ever win. However, there is a slim chance they will welcome it against strong Denmark.

The Central American team need to strengthen their defence and help their goalkeepers if they want to make an impact. Two wheels that were turning the chariot were Juan Humberto Anguiano Lopez and Yahir De Jesus Garcia Reye, both netting seven times and setting an example to the rest of the team.

Denmark started their Croatia 2023 journey with a 32:21 win over Chile and hope they will continue on the same path, securing the main round spot. Almost an all new team, compared to the M18 EHF EURO 2022 squad, have the same goal as their previous generations – reaching the final weekend.

While waiting for much stronger opponents, Denmark still need to show sternness and the desire to show their skills. After day one in Rijeka, their top scorers are centre back Frederik Emil Pedersen and left wing Frederik Reinholdt Jagerum.

• 15:30 CEST Austria vs Chile

Austria knew ahead of the competition they would need two strong wins against non-European sides of the group to progress to the main round. The 10-year absence was marked by the win against Mexico, and they have a chance to reach their objective against Chile too.

Against Mexico, they were relying on fast breaks and wing shots, netting 28 goals out of a total of 49. Counting on the play's similarity, they hope the same play will bring them a second straight win. With the help of Leon Theodor Bergmann, who finished day one on 50% save efficiency and unstoppable Sebastian Bernhard Huber, Austria is already dreaming of their best placement ever. They just need to confirm it on the court in Rijeka.

Chile's main goal for the IHF Men's Youth World Championship was to be competitive. And while they couldn't count on that against three-time champion Denmark, they surely hope they can make Austria make a run for important two points.

However, the South American side lacked experience, which resulted in the attack efficiency in the first game. Interestingly, they didn't have a single fast break and their wings successfully jumped only two times. It is definitely the segment of the game they need to improve while tightening their defence.

Group F

• 17:30 CEST Georgia vs Norway

Georgian handball is on the rise, and after the senior team booked their ticket for the EHF EURO 2024, the young generation wants to at least make a good effort at Croatia 2023. While Sandro Darsania brought senior national team experience and ended as a top scorer against Montenegro, the team is still far from perfect.

Taking on Norway can be a slightly less challenging task and hope for Georgia to snatch at least a point. The Scandinavian side managed to secure a 27:25 win against North Macedonia after a tough battle and they need to showcase better play and confidence if they want to secure the main round spot.

Mainly, the defensive display was lacking so far in the competition while their attack was on a high – 71% efficiency. The efficiency was additionally reinforced with no-miss Marius Olseth, who scored nine times.

19:30 CEST Montenegro vs North Macedonia

An all-Balkan duel can push Montenegro to the main round or leave hope for North Macedonia at Croatia 2023. Montenegro didn't struggle against Georgia on the first day in Rijeka, beating the opponent 34:19. Backed with the great performance of Lazar Sredanović between the posts and his 65% save efficiency, the attack had an easy job creating easy chances and scoring from fast breaks.

Now they will face a country that shares a similar style of play and which is determined to get their hands on their first win after the win slipped away against Norway. Macedonians hope the character they showed at the M18 EHF Championship 2 2022 will be their guiding point between promising talents in the squad.

While their defence still need some confidence and to lower the number of lost one-on-one duels, the attack relies on Mirche Kalajdjieski, centre back who is gaining valuable experience in the first Slovenian division. 

"We played our first game at the big competition and we are determined to make progress with each game. Our players showed they can fight and that we have potential. We will give our best in the upcoming match against Montenegro," said North Macedonian head coach Radoslav Stojankovikj to 24rakomet.mk.

Photos: Croatia 2023/Kolektiff images