Brazil had to dig deep to seal a 30:22 win over the Islamic Republic of Iran, their maiden at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, as the South American side will now head into the President’s Cup with two points.

GROUP A
Brazil vs Islamic Republic of Iran 30:22 (11:10)

For more than 30 minutes, the Islamic Republic of Iran delivered maybe the best handball in their appearances at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, putting serious pressure on Brazil and even leading throughout most of the time.

But with Brazil’s superior nous and know-how, the South American team, which previously went close to shock Romania, losing by a single goal in the first match at North Macedonia 2024, managed to wake up and get back into the match, to secure their maiden win in the competition.

For the first 30 minutes, it looked like the Islamic Republic of Iran were onto something, and everything was due to goalkeeper Elnaz Yarmohammadtouski boasting an absolutely fantastic performance, saving 11 shots for an otherworldly 52% saving efficiency.

This constantly frustrated Brazil, as Iran’s experienced back Fatemeh Merikh, who also played at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, scored nine goals throughout the match, punishing Brazil’s soft defence time and time again and keeping the Asian side still in the match.

A 7:2 Brazil run to start the second half finally opened the floodgates for Brazil’s largest lead in the match, 20:14, after 42 minutes, with Iran finally collapsing due to their lack of depth and tired legs. But the Asian side did not back down until the last breath of the match, constantly pressuring their opponents.

As Brazil’s right wing Serena Borne punished Iran’s mistakes by converting fast breaks, the Asian side still cut the gap to three goals, 22:19, making the final minutes of the match more interesting, especially with Yarmohammadtouski, the Alkaloid Player of the Match, continuing to save shot after shot, finishing with 18 saves for a 40% saving efficiency. But Iran could not sustain that rhythm, as the 28 turnovers they made were their undoing, with Brazil eventually clinching a 30:22 win.

The two sides will continue in the Group I of the President’s Cup, where Brazil and Tunisia start with two points, while the Islamic Republic of Iran and Chile will be on zero points, in what promises to be quite a well-balanced group between the two sides.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Elnaz Yarmohammadtouski (Islamic Republic of Iran)