Norway mustered a fantastic comeback against Spain, going from five goals down in the second half, with a fantastic effort from birthday boy Tobias Grondahl, who scored six times in the last 30 minutes to secure a 25:24 win for his side.

MAIN ROUND, GROUP III
Norway vs Spain 25:24 (10:13)

It was Norway’s do-or-die moment, after their underwhelming start of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, with losses against Portugal and Brazil. Lose this match and they were mathematically out of contention for a spot in the quarter-finals, a big dream for the co-hosts.

It was also the first time Norway co-hosted an edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship, therefore the Scandinavian team had everything to play for, but facing them were Spain, a team undergoing a rebuild, but with a fantastic coach on the bench in Jordi Ribera.

Yet for the first 30 minutes, Norway looked once again scared and unable to deliver the goods, as the attack never got going, with 10 turnovers proving costly, while the shooting efficiency was deadlocked at 50%, with Sander Sagosen once again failing to create a proper rhythm for the hosts.

Goalkeepers Torbjorn Bergerud and Andre Kristensen had a 39% saving efficiency between them, with Kristensen shutting up shop with three saves from four shots, but Spain eventually pulled through, after starting the match better.

Four goals from right back Alex Dujshebaev, seconded by three goals from fellow right back Imanol Garciandia, more than half of Spain’s goals in the match, were enough to lift “Los Hispanos” to a 13:10 lead at the break, as Norway scored only one goal in the last 11 minutes and 40 seconds of the match.

There were 30 minutes left on the clock and Norway needed a push to mount a comeback in front of their fans in the Unity Arena, and Spain’s lack of experience on the bench could have been an issue for Ribera’s side, which forced Norway to rethink their approach with an aggressive 3-2-1 defence, the main reason for the Scandiavian’s side attacking woes. 

As Spain used a 3:0 unanswered run, with two goals from their wings, Ferran Sole and Ian Barrufet, the gap reached its maximum point, five goals, 18:13, with “Los Hispanos” delivering yet another fantastic start of the half to cement their status in the match.

But Norway were not going down without a fight, especially having an inspired and aggressive centre back in Tobias Grondahl, who had a fantastic second half, celebrating his birthday with a flawless performance. The diminutive 1.82m centre back scored four of Norway’s five goals in a 5:2 run which cut the gap to a single goal, 22:21, with 11 minutes to go, forcing Ribera to call his first team time-out of the second half.

Was it going to be enough? The Unity Arena in Baerum created plenty of noise as they favourites paid back Spain for their attacking woes in the first half, creating a 5:0 run, where Spain failed to score for eight minutes and 25 seconds. It was due to a seven-on-six attack deployed by Norway, as well as a defence which fought for every ball until the final second.

That run turned the match on its head, with Norway taking their biggest lead of the match, 24:22, with four minutes to go. Ribera took another team time-out, trying to weather the storm. However, he did not manage to salvage anything, as eventually Norway ran away with a 25:24 win, albeit with Sander Sagosen suffering a potential tournament-ending injury, as he had to be carried to his bench by his teammates.

With the 25:24 win, Norway live to fight another day, with the situation in the group becoming even more complicated, as Spain face Portugal and Brazil next, while Norway still have to play against Chile and Sweden.

hummel Player of the Match: Tobias Grondahl (Norway)