Hosts Croatia threw off the 2023 IHF Men's Youth World Championship in style, with an excellent win over Algeria, dominating the game from start to finish, much to the satisfaction of 1,000 fans in the Varaždin Arena.
 
Elsewhere, in their maiden game in the world handball flagship competition at this age category, the Faroe Islands clinched a big win over fellow debutants Burundi (53:21). At the same time, Montenegro also secured their maiden win (34:19) against Georgia.
 
In the Asian derby between the Republic of Korea and Bahrain, the latter side delivered a huge shock after they were dominated last summer in the continental competition, only to clinch a masterstroke of a win (32:28), boosting their chances to progress to the main round.
 

• Group A

Croatia vs Algeria 42:19 (19:6)
 
By the time Algeria scored their first goal of the game, after four minutes and 41 seconds, Croatia had already taken advantage of a suspension for the African team and scored twice in the open goal to create a 4:0 lead, playing with heart, grit and full motivation.
 
The hosts mean business at the 2023 IHF Men's Youth World Championship, as the fans in Varaždin boosted their confidence and the former champions, who won four medals in the previous eight editions of the competition, provided an excellent start, nearly flawless on both sides of the ball.
 
Centre back Vito Glivetic was nothing short of superb, with Croatia increasing the lead to 10:1 after 11 minutes, signalling that the question regarding the winner was already answered quickly and the only thing to do for Algeria was to limit the damage.
 
Glivetic and left wing Marko Bajan were Croatia's main attacking weapons, scoring 11 of their side's first 17 goals, with Algeria failing to weather the storm, as the hosts entered the break with a clear lead, 19:6, and the focus to rest some of their players before the games against Rwanda and Portugal in the next three days.
 
A 6:1 run to start the second half only widened the gap for Croatia, as their superiority was clear on the court, although Glivetic did not feature in the second half. Yet his teammates, who entered the fray later, were as hungry as the starters, continuing to deliver an excellent performance.
 
Coincidentally, Croatia's highest win at the IHF Men's Youth World Championship was a 45:19 against Algeria in 2007, in the second edition of the competition, and the European side flirted with beating that record throughout the second half, as the gap increased more and more.
 
But Croatia did not press until the end, and they only secured a 42:19 win, a 23-goal win, three goals shy of their record, yet a win which told a big story about their ambitions to be crowned champions once again on their home court.
 
hummel Player of the Match: Vito Glivetic (Croatia)
 

• Group D

Republic of Korea vs Bahrain 28:32 (13:14)
 
Were it not for the Republic of Korea's two goalkeepers, Hyeonmin Kim and Subin Kang, who saved eight shots between them for a collective 36% saving efficiency, the Asian champions would have had a far more difficult job at hand against fellow Asian side Bahrain in their opener at Croatia 2023.
 
Yet the two managed to keep their side floating, making crucial saves in important moments, as Bahrain led throughout the whole half but did not open a gap larger than two goals, with the Republic of Korea constantly managing to come back and tie the score.
 
Minjun Lee, Jinhyeok Moon and Jihwan Choi each scored three goals in the first 30 minutes, but it was still Bahrain who were leading at the break, delivering a turnover-free game and a well-rounded performance to still be ahead and have a decisive option to take the crucial two points (14:13).
 
The start of the second half looked to be a pivotal moment for the game, with the Republic of Korea taking the lead for the first time in the game, 19:17, thanks to a 3:0 unanswered run, only for Bahrain to reply with their own 3:0 run, spurred by Jaffar Farsan, who scored two of his nine goals in the game, on the way to be named the "hummel Player of the Match".
 
This way, Bahrain wrestled back the lead and opened their own two-goal lead (23:21), with the two sides continuing to trade goals until the end. The pivotal moment was, however, a penalty missed by Korea's Minjun Lee in the 57th minute, as Talal Alzowayed's save proved decisive in the game's outcome.
 
Without any momentum on their side, the Republic of Korea faltered, Alzowayed made some more heroic saves, and the winners of the 2022 AHF Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship conceded their first loss at the 2023 IHF Men's Youth World Championship (32:28), a huge shock considering that they won against Bahrain last summer (39:22).
 
Bahrain are now excellently positioned to challenge for a place in the main round, just like they did at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship in June, when they produced a huge shock eliminating Slovenia but will need more of the same in their next games, against Spain and Brazil, while the Republic of Korea will have their work cut out in the next games.
 
hummel Player of the Match: Jaffar Farsan (Bahrain)

 

 

• Group F

Montenegro vs Georgia 34:19 (16:11)

Montenegro had the upper hand against Georgia, especially in the second half, and claimed a well-deserved victory. It means that after the opening day, Montenegro and Norway lead Group F with two points, while North Macedonia and Georgia have no points.

The Balkan team enjoyed a good start to the game, taking a 4:1 lead by the fifth minute. However, Georgia improved their attack and cut the deficit to 5:6. 

Their right back Sandro Darsania, already a senior national team player, scored four goals before the break, but Montenegro relied on better team performance. A 5:1 run saw them taking a 16:10 lead in the 30th minute before Nugzar Tarieladze reduced the gap to five goals at half-time. 

The Balkan side improved in the second half thanks to brilliant goalkeeping. While Savo Vujovic had not stopped many balls before the break, his colleague Lazar Sredanovic entered the game well after the restart. Thanks to his string of saves, Montenegro enjoyed a 5:0 run between minutes 37 and 43, taking a 24:15 lead. 

Sredanovic ended the game with 11 saves and an impressive 65% save rate, while his teammate Darko Durkovic became Montenegro's best scorer with nine goals. Darsania netted six times for Georgia, but his effort could have helped more, as his team was limited to just eight goals in the second half. 

hummel Player of the Match: Filip Gazdic (Montenegro)

• Group H

Faroe Islands vs Burundi 53:21 (30:8)

The battle of the debutants closed the day in Opatija. Despite both sides having their first appearance at the IHF Men's Youth World Championship, the Faroe Islands had a good outing and continued showcasing the country's good work.

There was no question about the winner of the game, and with a good impetus, the Faroe Islands are looking forward to the next two matches while Burundi will try to improve their performance against two new strong opponents.

The Faroe Islands made a break early in the game, having 6:1 after seven minutes played. However, not all was bad for Burundi. Goalkeeper Alex Benjamin Ingabire did his best to follow the path set by Aleksandar Lacok, who already made his breakthrough at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship in Germany and Greece. While Lacok was on three saves out of four attempts, Ingabire had four out of seven.

Despite their strong defensive performance, Burundi struggled with their offensive game, only converting 32% of their shots and committing an unbelievable 27 turnovers in the first half – and 47 altogether. While both teams were new to the competition, the Faroe Islands proved the role of the favourites with a double-digit lead (13:3) by the 13th minute.

The lack of experience was visible in Burundi's rows, as the fourth-placed team from the 2022 African Men's Youth Championship could not score, making rookie mistakes while they could not stop the fast-paced Faroe Islands.

The European side had a chance to mix their players and give a chance to 11 of them already in the first 30 minutes, with left back Óli Mittún and right wing Óla Jákup Gaard Olsen being the top scores, netting eight and six goals, respectively.

Ndayiragije Benin will be written as Burundi's first scorer at the IHF Men's Youth World Championship as he joined Ingabire, who ended the night with 21 saves out of 71 attempts. Speaks enough about the opponent's efficient attack too. The 40-goal mark was hit in the 46th minute as Tróndur Johnsson scored his fourth and they cruised to the 53:21 win, the second highest win of the day at Croatia 2023.

hummel Player of the Match: Óla Jákup Gaard Olsen (Faroe Islands)

Photos: Croatia 2023/Kolektiff images