The Republic of Korea are back into the main round of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship after missing out at Slovenia 2022, securing their second win in as many matches at North Macedonia 2024, 33:31, against Argentina.

GROUP C
Republic of Korea vs Argentina 33:31 (17:16)

Entering the competition as favourites, the Republic of Korea secured a win in the first match against Mexico, 33:20, but the second match, where a win would have brought them to the main round, was definitely a bigger challenge.

Argentina had previously lost by 18 goals against Hungary, but this time around gave the Asian champions a run for their money, in a battle between two continental champions, with different styles, but the same objective, the win.

The first half was a topsy-turvy, cagey affair, with four lead changes, as Korea started better, but Argentina bounced back with a 4:0 run, which saw the Asian champions fail to score a goal for eight minutes and seven seconds, tipping the balance into Argentina’s way.

However, the aggressive 3-2-1 defence from Korea, which shapeshifted into 3-3 and also 4-2, exerted serious pressure on Argentina, which had constantly needed to find new ways to score, with backs Miranda Kruk and Azul Spinelli combining for 10 goals in the first half, usually scoring via breakthroughs.

But when the Republic of Korea cleaned up their number of turnovers – seven in the first 16 minutes – and delivered a better attacking performance, they bounced back immediately, with a 4:0 unanswered run in less than three minutes, to take the lead, 10:9.

As soon as the second half started, Korea’s absolutely fantastic pacy attack and efficient fast breaks worked wonders against Argentina, opening their largest lead of the match, four goals, as a 4:1 start of the second part lifted the Asian side to a 21:17 lead, with centre back Sujeong Park and right wing Seoyeon Cha scoring five goals each.

But a relentless Argentina side never backed down. Coach Hernan Carlos Siso threw everything at the match, using a seven-on-six attack at times, helping his side cut the gap to only one goal, 28:27, with eight minutes to go, as Kruk had 11 goals scored by that time, while the Alkaloid Player of the Match, Florencia Carrasco, saved 11 shots for a 38% saving efficiency.

Nevertheless, Korea resisted until the end, limited Argentina to only two goals scored in the last seven minutes and ran off with a 33:31 win, but the South American team deservedly pushed their Asian counterparts until the end with a fantastic display, maybe the best in the last editions of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship.

With their second win in as many matches, the Republic of Korea are now through to the main round, but will find out how many points they take in the next phase after their face off with Hungary in the last day of the preliminary round, on Saturday.

On the other hand, Argentina will head to the President’s Cup, but will be favoured against Mexico in their last match, which could mean a better chance to finish higher at the end of the competition.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Florencia Carrasco (Argentina)