It was the last group match of the President's Cup and both teams, who were tied on two points, hoped to win it. 

North Macedonia, the only European team at the consolation competition, had a big advantage against Morocco and finished second in Group II following a victory. 

President's Cup Group II

North Macedonia vs Morocco 40:25 (18:12)

It was North Macedonia's second win at Poland/Sweden 2023. Once again, they beat an African team four days after defeating Algeria (40:25). The victory on Thursday was their highest at this level, and now the Balkan side won with exactly the same score. 

The team coached by Kiril Lazarov will end the tournament with the 27/28 Placement Match against Republic of Korea on Wednesday. In turn, Morocco finished third in the group and are set to meet Saudi Arabia in the 29/30 Placement Match.

North Macedonia boasted an 82% shot efficiency compared to Morocco's 54%, and scored as many as 18 fast breaks during the match. Martin Tomovski made 13 saves for a 34% save rate, Filip Kuzmanovski scored eight goals and the 19-year-old Petar Atanasiijevikj added seven more.

The 19-year-old Atanasijevikj was one of North Macedonia's players who got more time on court than in previous matches. Lazarov decided to rest some of the team leaders, such as Nikola Mitrevski and Dejan Manaskov, who spent the entire match on the bench, or Žarko Peševski, who played just a few minutes. 

Rezzouki Reida opened the score from the 7m line, but it was Morocco's only lead for 60 minutes. North Macedonia created a 7:2 advantage 10 minutes into the match and although the Africans somewhat reduced the gap, Lazarov's team enjoyed a healthy six-goal lead at the break.

The Balkan side further extended their advantage as the match resumed. North Macedonia opened the second half with a 6:0 run, increasing the gap to 24:12, before Mohammed Zaher scored Morocco's first goal after the break in the 38th minute. 

At the remaining time, the only question was whether North Macedonia would claim their biggest win at the World Championship. In the end, the Balkan side only matched their record, and on Wednesday they will try to end the tournament on a high in the match against the Republic of Korea. 

hummel Player of the Match: Martin Tomovski (North Macedonia)