Libya secured their first win in history at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship (35:32) against Costa Rica. They ended up on the 30th place in the competition, as Costa Rica finished 31st and Greenland 32nd, after the conclusion of the Placement Matches 29-32.

Norway finished the wolrd championship on the 18th place, after their second win in four days against Slovenia (28:24), while Saudi Arabia also clinched a win in their last game at Germany/Greece 2023 (25:20) against Morocco to snap up the 21st place in the final standings.

Placement Matches 17-20

• Norway vs Slovenia 28:24 (13:14)

The two European teams faced each other for the second time this week, and the Norwegian team had the upper hand in both games. On Monday, the Scandinavians won 36:25, and now they repeated the feat, claiming a 28:24 victory. This result allowed Norway to finish 18th, while Slovenia took the 20th position. 

Norway were in front for most of the first half, with their lead reaching four goals (10:6) midway through it. Aleksander Hoiness, who had scored 10 goals against Saudi Arabia the day before, was on fire again, netting four times by the 13th minute. 

Slovenia replaced their goalkeeper Luka Zupacic by Zan Rauh, and it helped them turn things around. Rauh stopped four of seven shots before the break, while Tarik Mlivic and Vid Miklavec gained momentum in attack. In the opening 30 minutes, this duo combined for 11 of Slovenia's 14 goals, and it was Mlivic who secured the Balkan team's first lead in the game, 14:13 in the 29th minute. 

The close battle continued early in the second half, and the teams were level at 18:18 in minute 41 before Norway enjoyed a 4:0 run in the next five minutes. It played a key role in the Nordic team's win, and although Slovenia tried to make a comeback, the Norwegians maintained control of the game to claim their fifth straight win at the tournament. 

hummel Player of the Match: Aleksander Hoiness (Norway)

Placement Match 21-24

• Saudi Arabia vs Morocco 25:20 (15:10)

On Monday, Morocco recorded a clear win against Saudi Arabia (33:21) in a President's Cup Group IV match. But three days later, the Asian team took revenge.

Thanks to this win, Saudi Arabia ranked 21st at the World Championship, as their results at the tournament are better than those of Algeria, who beat Kuwait in the other Placement Match 21-24 earlier today. In turn, Morocco finished 23rd above Kuwait.

Morocco opened an early 2:0 before Saudi Arabia seized the initiative. They boasted a 71% shot efficiency before the break, and as Murtaja Alkhedhrawi scored seven goals, the Asians led 15:10 after 30 minutes.
Morocco scored five goals – half of their tally – from fast breaks before half-time, yet they were behind. Still, the Africans pushed hard for a comeback after the restart. Some good defence and counterattacks helped them cut the deficit to just one goal (19:20) by minute 48.

However, Saudi Arabia weathered the storm. Goals from Ahmed Al Saeed lifted them to a 4:0 run in the next seven minutes, and the Asian side felt quite comfortable leading 24:19 with six minutes left.

Ahmed Alabdullah was the best scorer of the winning team with eight goals, while Marouane Boukhamsa netted six times for Morocco. 

hummel Player of the Match: Ahmed Alabdullah (Saudi Arabia)

Placement Matches 25-28

• Costa Rica vs Libya 32:35 (12:16)

Libya welcomed their first win at the World Championship by beating debutants Costa Rica and left the opponents without a match won on the last day of Placement Matches 25-28. In a match full of turnarounds, Libya were the lucky one and will have good memories of their second-ever appearance at the flagship competition.

The game was all level, while the defences on both sides were aggressive and backed by good goalkeepers. Libya even rebounded from a minimal setback and mid-first half they had a five-goal run. It is worth mentioning the role of Abd Alraouf Alabasi, he closed the first half with nine saves at a 48% saving efficiency.

Costa Rica continued to fight, and with the help of Erick Kendall Suárez Matarrita and Jerson Yafeth Cantarero Martínez closed the gap to four. The Costa Ricans transferred their good attacking-outing to the second half and in just eight minutes not only caught up but also took over the lead, leaving Libya behind by two (20:18).

While vying for the first win at Germany/Greece 2023, true fighting spirit was shown on both sides as the clock hit the 50th minute. Wael Irwayhah fooled the defence and returned the lead back to Libya's side, leaving Costa Rica empty-handed and a little bit disappointed.

hummel Player of the Match: Ahmed Abdalla (Libya)