Debutants at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, Paraguay secured their first win, a commanding performance against last edition’s runners-up, Cyprus, 30:23, keeping their hopes for a semi-finals berth alive.

In the meantime, Bulgaria clinched the semi-finals spot and the first place in the group, after winning against Great Britain and Paraguay in the first two matchdays.

GROUP A
Paraguay vs Cyprus 30:23 (14:12)

Runners-up in the previous edition of the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, Cyprus had a tough start of the competition, with a 23:37 loss against Great Britain in the first match, rendering their chances of progression low, due to them playing the last match of the preliminary round against Bulgaria.

But before the European showdown against the hosts, Cyprus were due to play against Paraguay, and, on paper, the experience and depth was far superior for the European side. Therefore, when the South American side, debutants at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, delivered a flawless start, Cyprus looked shellshocked.

With 13 turnovers in the first half, a goalkeeping saving efficiency of 18% - with the first save coming after 20 minutes – and a meagre 52% shooting efficiency, Cyprus looked in trouble from the first minutes and by the 10th minute, they were seven goals down, 1:8.

Paraguay, which had lost their opener against Bulgaria, 15:38, were absolutely stunning on both sides of the ball, impressing themselves with a strong display. However, in the next 20 minutes, Paraguay could only score six times, despite having a 3:0 run between the 16th and the 19th minutes, when they opened another seven-goal lead, 12:5.

But after taking their first team time-out after 19 minutes, Cyprus bounced back. While their most experienced players – Nikolaos Karkalatos and Loucas Paraskeva – had only two goals from eight shots between them and each turning the ball over three times, the European side still managed to bounce back.

Despite a few mistakes, Cyprus engineered a 7:1 run, backed by two goals each from Christos Tartios and Marios Georgiadis, to cut the gap to a single goal, 13:12, with one minute to go in the first half. Eventually, Paraguay scored again and had two goals at the break, 14:12, but the momentum was with Cyprus.

Soon, that momentum shifted again, as Paraguay took advantage of every mistake made by Cyprus, despite Luis Mario Soto Gomez conceding a red card. Riding a fantastic outing from Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, who scored each of the first eight shots he tried, the South American side delivered again.

Two 3:0 runs saw Paraguay open another seven-goal lead, 24:17, with 18 minutes to go, as the match looked done and dusted. Cyprus mounted a short-lived comeback, cutting the gap to only four goals, 24:20.

It was the last time when the European side got close, as Paraguay pressed once again the pedal, and with goalkeeper Martin Gonzalez Gimenez saving 16 shots for a 42% saving efficiency, and Cyprus missing two penalties, the South American side recorded a historic 30:23 win.

Paraguay’s win also means that Bulgaria secured the first place in the group, with back-to-back wins against Paraguay and Great Britain, while Cyprus are also out, irrespective of the results of the last matchday of the preliminary round.

Player of the Match: Jorge Rojas Gutierrez (Paraguay)