Co-hosts Germany and Greece delivered two strong performances against Tunisia and Cuba respectively, with Greece sealing their main round berth already, while Germany are virtually through to the next round.

After their big win against Libya on the maiden day of Germany/Greece 2023, Germany pulled no punches in creating a big cap against Tunisia from the first minutes, jumping to a clear 46:31 win, as they are primed to start the main round with two points.

On the other hand, Greece clinched a huge and dominant win over Cuba (42:26) but will face Egypt on Friday in a do-or-die game, which will decide the group winners.

• Group B

Germany vs Tunisia 46:31 (21:13)

With two games scheduled in two days, Germany did not show their full force against Libya on Tuesday, as a more challenging game against Tunisia awaited in the Swiss Life Hall in Hanover this afternoon, but the co-hosts really delivered a flawless performance in the first 20 minutes against the African side.

By the time Tunisia scored five goals, Germany were already up 17:5, with a dominating performance, as star back Renars Uscins and line player Justus Fischer each scored four goals, nearly the same number that Tunisia managed to put past an extraordinary David Späth.

Germany's goalkeeper had five saves for a 50% efficiency after 21 minutes, constantly frustrating Tunisia's attack, whose efficiency dropped to a meagre 35% shooting efficiency, in a disappointing turn of events for the African team, which had big expectations before the match.

With all but two outfield players scoring at least one goal, as coach Michael Heuberger rotated his side throughout the whole game, Germany found no reason to continue pushing, yet the gap went to double digits early in the second half.

Wings Florian Kranzmann (13 goals at Germany/Greece 2023) and Tim Freihöfer (11 goals in the tournament) were once again the top scorers for the co-hosts, combining for 10 goals in the game, with Germany eventually sealing a clear 46:31 win, in their best-attacking performance in the competition since 2017, when they put 48 goals past the Republic of Korea.

Germany are virtually through to the main round with two wins in two games and will surely start with two points in the next phase, provided they secure a win against Algeria in their last match. On the other hand, Tunisia had previously won against Algeria. Therefore they will qualify if their African counterparts do not secure a better result than Tunisia in the last match.

hummel Player of the Match: Renars Uscins (Germany)

 

 

 

• Group H

Greece vs Cuba 42:26 (22:10)

Co-hosts Greece won their second straight match at the World Championship, this time against the debutants from Cuba. This result means that both Greece and Egypt are through to the main round, and they will determine the winner of Group H in their mutual encounter on Friday.
On the same day, Cuba will meet Saudi Arabia in their last group match, looking for a maiden win at this level. But in any case, both rivals will then proceed to the President's Cup. 

Cuba's Maiko Vazques opened the score after a fast break, but it was his team's only lead during this match. Greece responded with a 5:0 run and did not slow down afterwards, as they were already in front by 12 goals at half-time.

13 of 14 Greece outfield players put their names on the scoresheet, with Ioannis Vasileiou Tsafos becoming a top scorer with eight goals. And just like the day before, his teammate Dimitrios Bampatzanidis stood like a wall in goal, making 16 saves for a 47% save rate.

In turn, Cuba used all their three goalkeepers, but none of them could really impress. And while Maiko Vazques again – like the day before – became his team's best scorer, he converted only half of his attempts, 7 of 14. So it was hard for the Cubans to snatch any points in this encounter, as the co-hosts took a well-deserved win. 

hummel Player of the Match: Ioannis Vasileiou Tsafos (Greece)