After a close match to open the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship quarter-finals in Vigo, Egypt had a strong finish and secured one of the first places in the penultimate stage at Spain 2019. It is the fourth time out of the last six editions of the Junior World Championship that Egypt have reached the semi-finals. 

QUARTER-FINAL
Egypt vs Norway 29:27 (12:14)

Norway had the stronger start to the match and opened an early lead at 3:1 after five minutes, helped by a strong 6-0 defence that Egypt had trouble beating as they looked for gaps that were not to be found. It took some time for Egypt to settle into the game, but they steadily reduced the deficit and by the ninth minute the match was level – as it stayed almost the entire way through to the final minutes. 

After a score of 23:23 in the 53rd minute, Egypt pulled away to lead 28:24 before Norway closed the gap for an exciting finish. With the score at 28:27 inside the last minute, the match still could have gone either way. It was Seif Elderaa who broke through the one-on-one defence employed by the Scandinavian side in an attempt to steal the ball and secured the win. 

Both teams took their turn holding the advantage, but the greatest distance in the first half was just three goals. Norway were in front 14:11 in the last minute, before Egypt brought the difference to two in time for the break. As they had in the first half, Norway created a clearer advantage when the match resumed. 

Five minutes into the second period the Scandinavian side had pulled in front 17:12, and in the 37th they held steady at 18:13 – but then Egypt finally found the perfect combination. Coach Tarek Sayed Elsayed had rotated his line-up extensively, looking for the right team to beat Norway’s defence, and his decisions proved perfect. After Norway held their last advantage as late as the 52nd minute, 23:22, Egypt grabbed the momentum. 

Critical saves from Abdelrhman Taha Ali, after his entry to the goal to replace Abdelrahman Mohamed Homayed who played the first half, opened the door for Egypt to take the lead. They hit a 28:24 advantage in the 59th minute, and the match seemed clearly decided. However, Norway managed to decrease the deficit, and an exciting ending followed. 

It was a smart tactical decision for coach Elsayed to replace his line player with Elderaa for the final attack, as Egypt’s line-up then featured fast players with an ability to break through one-on-one – and Elderaa did just that to take the victory for the African champions.  

Player of the match: Shehab Abdalla Ahmed, Egypt