Dramatic final sees Germany seal world title at Egypt 2025, after marathon against Spain
17 Aug. 2025

Germany secured their first title in history at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after one of the most dramatic finals in the history of handball, a 41:40 marathon, which saw the two teams play 80 minutes before the title was decided on penalties.
Germany had a three-goal deficit with 80 seconds to go in the final half of extra-time, but rallied back and clinched the win.
FINAL
Spain vs Germany 40:41 a.pen. (16:14; 27:27; 31:31)
Only two teams have won back-to-back editions of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship: Denmark in 2011 and 2013 and France in 2015 and 2017. Now Spain had the chance to make history and secure the title for the second time in a row, when they met Germany in the last act of Egypt 2025 in the Cairo Stadium – Hall 1.
Or was it Germany’s chance to secure their maiden trophy in the competition and make the historic treble, having already won the senior and the junior world handball flagship events? So far, Germany were unbeaten, with six wins and one draw and had the better start, taking an early lead.
Spain surprised with their starting line-up, as coach Ignacio Moyano left some of their top performers, such as right back Marcos Fis Ballester, left wing Sergio Sanchez Vidan and defensive anchor Guido Bayo Giraud, but their teammates had no issues to perform at the highest level and create a big lead midway in the first half.
Pivotal to that five-goal lead, 11:6, was a 4:0 run from Spain spanning five minutes and 14 seconds, where Quim Rocas orchesterated the attack and line player Aldo Pagliotta De Andres scored three goals in a row to lift Spain from a shaky start.
But more important were goalkeeper David Failde Fuentes’ saves – four in the first nine minutes, including a penalty – as Spain had some excellent moments and their 5-1 defence really frustrated Germany’s attack, which lacked the creativity and the speed to really perform at the highest level.
In fact, while Germany conceded only eight goals less than Spain during the whole event, they had scored 47 less, an average of over seven per match, and that could be seen on the court, especially as Germany’s goalkeepers failed to record a save until the 21st minute, when Anel Durmić, replacing Finn Knaack, finally made a save.
That spurred a 3:0 run for Germany, which cut the gap to only two goals, with the match being on once again, forcing Moyano to take his first team time-out, feeling that Germany might be onto something and the momentum shifting their way.Â
But with Spain dictating the tempo and using a fast attack, it was clear that Germany needed something else and coach Eric Wudtke started deploying a seven-on-six attack, which proved efficient helping his side cut the gap to two goals at the break, 16:14, and everything to play for, with Spain’s gamble of introducing the starters in the second part of the first half somewhat backfiring.
Yet was it Spain’s match or Germany had more in the tank and could bounce back? After 12 minutes in the second half, not only Germany had tied the score, 20:20, but limited the damage Spain’s attack did, with the reigning champions’ top performers falling behind in the match.
Spain’s coach took out again Fis and Rocas, trying to rest them for the final stretch of the match, but Germany, the perfect underdogs which looked down and dusted, were roaring, forcing Spain’s second team time-out with Jan Grüner and Linus Schmid each scoring four goals by that point.
Germany briefly took the lead, 24:23, for the first time since the fourth minute, before Spain wrestled it back, as left wing Sergio Sanchez Vidan scored three consecutive goals. And with six minutes to go, it was still touch and go, 26:25, with everything to play for.
Missing clear-cut chances looked to be Spain’s undoing, but Germany also failed to score in two consecutive one-on-one situations, where David Failde Fuentes stopped two key shots to keep his team in the lead.
And with only 60 seconds left in the match, the two teams were still tied, 27:27, with a single question left: which team is going to blink first? The answer was none and the match went to extra-time, for the first time in the history of the finals at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.
Defences stood tall throughout the first half of overtime, with only three goals scored, but Germany had their maiden two-goal advantage, 29:27, after William Reichardt and Tim Schröder scored, with Spain finally breaking their duck with only 27 seconds left in the period.
But once again, Spain showed grit and determination to tie the score, 31:31, with Fis Ballester adding two more goals and pushing the match into the second overtime period, with 10 more minutes left to decide the winner.
And there Spain looked to be on the up, taking the two-goal lead, 34:32, at the end of the first half, where Fis Ballester and Rocas dominated, with the former jumping on the third place in the top goal scorer standings, with 60 goals, after his eighth in the match.
Yet, in the end, it was about energy and Spain had more in the last 10 minutes of the 80-minute marathon, where Fis scored once more to put his team ahead, 36:33. But was it over? Obviously not.
Germany mustered a fantastic comeback, as Spain floundered, making easy mistakes in the last 80 seconds, and enabling their opponents to score three times to tie the score, 36:36, and push the match to penalties.
A lottery or science? In the end, both. Each team had seven penalties. Germany scored five, Spain only four, as Germany’s goalkeeper, Finn Knaack saved two, while Anel Durmic saved the last one,  to lift their side to a 41:40 win.
Germany secured their maiden title at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after one of the most dramatic finals in the history of the sport, with penalties deciding everything after 80 dramatic minutes.
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