Spain became the first European team in history to clinch the title at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, in the Four-a-Side version, after a dramatic 2:1 win against Japan, where they dominated the first and the third set.

FINAL
Japan vs Spain 1:2 (9:13; 17:5; 5:6)

A dramatic final saw Spain take the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship crown with a 2:1 win over Japan, shrugging off a second set, where Japan outplayed the European side.

The storyline before the start of the match was clear: Spain were the hosts, but underdogs facing an unbeaten team, who scored the largest number of points in the competition so far – 95 in four matches – and looked unstoppable at times.

But the tables turned quickly, as Spain enjoyed the better start and forced Japan to change their gameplan after only three minutes and introduce Shinnosuke Morooka, their top scorer, quite early, as he was slated to feature more prominently later.

With Spain going on a three-point lead, 4:1, after three minutes and 46 seconds, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Asian side, who had the bigger experience, but also no answer in attack and defence for Spain.

In goal, Francisco Javier Cazurro Revuelta, arguably the best goalkeeper in the competition so far in crunch time, saved three of the first four shots he faced, while in attack Lorenzo Envo Edjang Nsa scored three points, behind Agustín Alejos Alonso, who had nine points.

And Japan had only Morooka on the scoresheet, with nine points, as Spain managed their lead to perfection and took a 13:9 win in the first set, producing an excellent match on both sides of the ball – in attack where they missed only four shots and in defence where they limited the best attack of the competition to one point in the first seven minutes.

The second set saw the tables turn immediately, with Japan running again their own style of fast-paced handball, providing an entertaining performance, as Spain’s defence simply could not contain them.

Gone were the saves from Cazurro Revuelta, leaving Morooka to run riot and push the match into the decider. By the end of the second set, Morooka had 23 points, singlehandedly dominating the hosts.

He scored nine of the first 10 points of the set for the Asian side, helping his team take a 4:1 lead, which then ballooned to 12:5 after seven minutes, with Spain in dire need of direction, as the players kept changing, simply to be well-rested for the upcoming deciding set.

Japan were now the team with the whole momentum and looked certain to lift the title, after getting 3:0 up, with everything close to being over. Yet the match was not over.

In the last three minutes of the match, Spain did not concede any point, beefing up their defence. And Lorenzo Envo Edjang Nsa and Agustín Alejos Alonso, who finished with 12 and 10 points respectively did their job in attack, using a 6:0 unanswered run to tilt the balance and secure the title for the European side, a debutant at this level.

Europe clinched their first title and the second medal, after Slovenia secured the bronze in the inaugural edition in 2022, while Asia stay with Japan’s medal, an uptick from their fifth place in 2024.