Main Round Group I: France and Spain eye early quarter-final spots

19 Jan. 2023

Main Round Group I: France and Spain eye early quarter-final spots

France and Spain, who had reached the main round with the maximum of four points, added two more points in their opening matches in Group I. And if both European sides win again on Friday, they will seal their quarter-final berths ahead of their mutual encounter scheduled for Sunday.

However, Slovenia, who have four points, also hope to go through, and their match with Spain should play a crucial role for both opponents. 

  • 15:30 CET: Slovenia vs Spain

On Wednesday, Slovenia claimed their biggest win so far at Poland/Sweden 2023, defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran 38:21. With four points, they are third-placed in Group I but hope to climb up in the standings.

And they will have a chance to do so if they beat Spain. However, a defeat will destroy all Slovenian hopes, so it is a do-or-die match for the team coached by Uroš Zorman.

"For us, every match is a final and in each of them, we want to give our best on the court. This makes me as a national team captain very happy, and now we have a new 'final' match against Spain," Slovenia's Jure Dolenec said.

The match on Friday will be very important for both sides – also for Spain, who have so far won all their four encounters at the competition. At the start of the main round, "Los Hispanos" managed to defeat co-hosts Poland 27:23, and another victory will see them through to the quarter-final. 

Spain's coach Jordi Ribera seems to be quite happy with his players. "The team has a great mentality and a great desire to do well, so now we will rest and prepare for the important match against Slovenia," he said after a hard-fought win over Poland.

Spain boast a perfect record against Slovenia at the World Championship, winning 26:22 at Spain 2013, 30:26 at Qatar 2015 and 36:26 at France 2017. However, they should take nothing for granted in a Friday match that promises to be exciting. 

  • 18:00 CET: Islamic Republic of Iran vs France

So far, France have lived up to expectations, winning all three matches in the group phase and opening the main round with a 35:24 victory against Montenegro. The team coached by Guillaume Gille is top of Group I with six points, ahead of Spain on goal difference.

Suppose France defeat Iran and Spain do not lose against Slovenia. In that case, the French team will already secure their progression on Friday and it will be their 16th straight participation in the quarter-final of the World Championship.

Even without Dika Mem, who is still sidelined due to an injury, France looked confident on Wednesday against Montenegro, satisfying their coach. "We entered the main round in a good way," Gille said.

Now his team will be heavily favoured to beat Iran, who have already lost even a mathematical chance of progressing to the quarter-final. For the Asians, who are playing their only second World Championship, reaching the main round is already a milestone, and matches with heavyweights like France are seen as good lessons. 

"I will surprise you, but I count on a success against France – if we don't concede 50 goals, I will consider it a success," Iran's coach Veselin Vujović said half-jokingly. 

  • 20:30 CET: Montenegro vs Poland

With two points under their belt, Vujović's fellow countrymen from Montenegro do not have a realistic chance to go through. Yet even after an 11-goal defeat against France, their coach Zoran Roganović did not look unhappy, "France showed that they a real force, their players have such a physical condition that it's hard to fight with them for 60 minutes. We showed them our teeth, but the ball didn't want to go into the goal. Now we are already focused on the next match," he said.

Now the Balkan side will try to do better and maybe grab some points against Poland, who have lost any chance to reach the quarter-final following a 23:27 defeat against Spain on Wednesday.

The co-hosts had certainly expected to do better before the start of the competition, but so far they have lost three of their four encounters on the home court. In their opening main round encounter, Poland tried to fight against Spain and were down by just one goal at half-time, but ultimately lost by four.

In the remaining matches against Montenegro and Iran, the Poles will be trying to make up for the negative impression of their performance. "We are very committed to ending the tournament well," their coach Patryk Rombel said.