After a two-goal win against Malta on Tuesday, Andorra had little left in the tank to stop India’s challenge as the Asian side made their debut at the 2023 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship with a win (26:23).

Group A

• Andorra vs India 23:26 (10:14)

Coming with only ten players to the 2023 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship was a risky proposition for Andorra, which had back-to-back games in the group phase. Their first win, 29:27 against Malta, meant nothing if they did not win their second match against India, and the start for the European side was promising.

Andorra went on a 3:1 run to start the game but faltered in the next minutes, as India managed a 4:0 run to take the wind out of Andorra’s sails and turn the game on its head. Back in the competition after making their debut in 2019, India fielded the same talented players that helped them at Georgia 2019, namely goalkeeper Kumar Atul and right wing Ankit Ankit.

Atul had an outstanding first half, boasting a 50% saving efficiency throughout the first 30 minutes with 10 saves, the highest number so far at Bulgaria 2023 for a team playing the first match, while Ankit was his team’s top scorer with seven goals, after putting 39 goals past India’s opponents four years ago.

The Asian side had a mishap when Mohit Mohit, who scored three goals in the first 14 minutes, saw the red card after a tough foul. But that did not deter them as India finished the first half with a 5:1 run, preventing Andorra from scoring more than once in the last eight minutes to take a 14:10 lead at the break.

It looked like India had it in the bag, but the plucky Andorra side never gave up. Led by the top goal scorer of the competition after the first day, back Unai Ruiz, who added 10 goals to his tally to take it to 21 goals throughout the group phase, the European side bounced back and cut the gap to only two goals, 20:18, with 13 minutes to go.

But Andorra’s turnovers and missed shots, as their energy reserves dropped down due to the lack of depth on the bench, was the European’s side undoing. Ruiz faltered, the defence collapsed in crucial times, and India had just enough to clinch the win. Backed by Kumal’s 17 saves for a 42.5% saving efficiency and Ankit’s 10 goals, India celebrated their third win in history at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship.

Eventually, the Asian side secured a 26:23 win, which set them up perfectly for winning the group before the game against Malta, where they could also lose by two goals and still qualify due to a superior goal difference. On that basis, Andorra are out of contention for the first place, as they have a -1 goal difference, which cannot be enough for the first place.

Player of the Match: Ankit Ankit (India)