Three teams extended their winning streaks to three games and will start the main round with two points.
 
Reigning champions Egypt mounted a spirited comeback against Iceland to take a 33:30 win, as Czechia was the second team to progress from Group C. The African powerhouse will start the main round with two points after sweeping their opponents in a well-balanced group.
 
Germany sailed through to the main round, with their third win in as many games against Argentina (27:16), and lent a helping hand to Saudi Arabia, which progressed to the main round, thanks to their superior goal difference of +18 as opposed to Argentina’s +3, with the two teams tied on points.
 
Group E also concluded on Saturday, with Denmark’s win against Austria (43:28) a harder-than-expected one. Yet, the Scandinavian team will now start the main round with two points, as Austria will start will zero points.
 
In Group A, Algeria clinched their first win at Croatia 2023, dominating Rwanda (33:27) in an all-African derby and will start the President’s Cup with two points.

• Group A

Rwanda vs Algeria 27:33 (13:18)
 
Last summer, Rwanda delivered one of the biggest surprises in the history of the CAHB African Men's Youth Championship, clinching the silver medal after surprising several powerhouses of the continent, including Algeria.
 
When the two teams drew 30:30 in the preliminary round, Rwanda had the better overall goal difference and they sailed through to the semi-finals, leaving Algeria emptyhanded. It was a game which Algeria did not forget and now it was time for them to deliver their answer at Croatia 2023.
 
Yet Rwanda still enjoyed a good start, taking an early lead and forcing Algeria to get meaningful stops on defence, especially trying to block the passes between the backs, which have been the main weapon for Rwanda at Croatia 2023.
 
However, the big difference between the two sides has been in the goalkeeping department, where Algeria's Ali Achiche Sid slowly got into form, saving seven of the first 15 shots he faced in the first half for a 47% saving efficiency, while Rwanda's Arsene Uwayezu recorded his first save after 21 minutes and 41 seconds.
 
Therefore, Algeria started to control the game, and a 6:2 run in the middle of the first half was crucial for their position in the game, with Youcef Atek and Abedelouahab Djemati combining for nine goals, half of their team's 18 in the first 30 minutes.
 
With a five-goal lead at the break (18:13), Algeria were in the driver's seat and duly took advantage of their position with a 5:0 run to start the second half, which created a 10-goal lead (23:13), which proved to be unassailable at the end. Rwanda could not deliver any comeback attempt, thanks to an excellent defence from their opponents and a monster game from goalkeeper Achiche, who was named the "hummel Player of the Match" with 21 saves and a 44% saving efficiency.
 
With their 33:27 win, Algeria will now start the President's Cup with two points, while Rwanda, who still have the third leakiest defence in competition, conceding 137 goals in the preliminary round, start the next phase, where both teams meet Morocco and New Zealand, with zero points.
 
hummel Player of the Match: Ali Sid Achiche (Algeria)

• Group C

Egypt vs Iceland 33:30 (14:15)

Iceland’s disappointing 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship campaign continued as they lost 30:33 to Egypt in a must-win game.

After losing against Czechia in their opener and then beating Japan, a victory was needed for Iceland to step into the main round, but the three-goal loss means a President’s Cup (17-32 ranking) spot and with it, their lowest-ever rank in the competition.

For Egypt, their half-time time turnaround speaks volumes about the mentality and quality of Wael Aly’s young side and with their Messi-like centre back, Ziad Hashad, pulling the strings, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Tonight they showed their battling qualities in a physical encounter which ended in a coming together of teams briefly at the final buzzer and which had seen two direct red cards handed to Egypt, another red to Iceland (for three suspensions) plus coaching staff on both sides given two-minute warnings.

That should not detract from a fascinating contest though which Egypt could afford not to win, their aggressive, open 3-3 defence causing Iceland to make a number of mistakes in their ball handling, backed up by their goalkeeping pair of Youssef Ahmed and Youssef Salama who made 14 saves between them, Ahmed particularly making crucial ones.

Chinks in the armour were there for the event title-holders and African champions – not least with 15 turnovers in the game – just before the end of the first quarter they were five down (3:8) and in a crazy period in the second half they went from a 6:0 scoring run (21:16 – 33rd-38th minute) to conceding five in a row (39th-47th minute). 

This saw the game tied up at 21:21, but Egypt stepped up and did enough to stay calm against an increasingly frantic Iceland side trying to get the win with players all over the court trying to snatch the ball.

The Egyptians march on and are warming up nicely in Croatia.

hummel Player of the Match: Ziad Hashad (Egypt)

 

 

 

• Group E

Denmark vs Austria 43:28 (21:15)

Denmark claimed their third straight win at the world championship, beating Austria in an all-European clash. Thanks to this success, the Danes will take two points with them to the main round, while Austria will open the next stage with zero points.

Denmark showed their firepower again, hitting the 40-goal mark for the second straight match after they defeated Mexico 49:21. Austria had also scored more than 40 goals in their previous games against Mexico and Chile, but now their attack struggled against the solid Danish defence and goalkeeper Malte Johnsson Eichhorst, who recorded 14 saves for a 47 % save rate. 

The Danes rotated their squad, as 15 of their players put their names on the scoresheet. Frederik Emil Pedersen again stood out with his attacking skills, netting eight times, while Lasse Sunesen Vilhelmsen and William Enoch Diaby added six goals each. 

It was a very close game in the opening 10 minutes, and the rivals were level at 6:6 after that time, but gradually Denmark took the initiative. However, Austria fought hard and were down by just two goals (14:16) in the 24th minute. But spurred by Pedersen's goals, the Danes enjoyed a 5:0 run and led by six goals at half-time.

Leon Bergmann's saves helped the Austrians to cut the deficit to 20:22 five minutes into the second half, but Denmark weathered the storm and pulled clear again. And between minutes 45 and 51, the Nordic team enjoyed a 7:0 run which put them into a 35:23 lead and removed all questions. 

hummel Player of the Match: Frederik Emil Pedersen (Denmark)

• Group G

Germany vs Argentina 27:16 (13:5)

Germany extended their winning streak to three, confirmed their first spot in the group ahead of the start of the main round where they will start with two points. Their defence made Argentina miserable, leaving the South American side without a place in the top 16, thus pushing Saudi Arabia through.

Argentina needed a strong performance and at least a tie against Germany, but what they showed in the first 15 minutes was not what they needed. In 18 minutes of the game, Argentina scored only twice, having an attack efficiency of 12%.

They were on a good way to their worst first half in the history at the IHF Men's Youth World Championship after an 8:28 (5:10) defeat against Spain in the 2009 edition. The only player capable of scoring without a miss was Tobias Ojea Cristiano, who also set that fifth goal in the 25th minute.

It could have gone even worse if not for Santino Diotallevi between the posts. At the same time, the real reason for Argentina's poor offensive display was on the other side of the court at the goal. Marc Julian Buchele closed the first 30 minutes of the game with seven saves at 59% save efficiency.

The second half delivered a more structured Argentina game, but nevertheless, the gap between the two sides remained the same. Germany was giving just enough, never letting their comfortable win come into question.

The third-placed team from the M18 EHF EURO 2022 hit their most significant lead at the game three minutes before the final whistle (+10). As Germany cruised to their sixth place among the top 16, Argentina failed to do so on only three occasions – 2013, 2015 and 2017; and is now adding Croatia 2023 to the list.

hummel Player of the Match: Fritz Haake (Germany)

Photos: Croatia 2023/Kolektiff images