Spain and the Faroe Islands are the two sides which made it to the main round from Group D, after the reigning European champions secured a clear 34:28 win over Angola.

In Group E in Athens, Hungary dominated Norway, delivering the Scandinavian side their second loss in as many matches with a clear 31:22 win.

• Group D

Angola vs Spain 28:34 (15:17)

It was not a vintage performance from Spain, but it got the job done with the minimum fuss possible, especially as the reigning European champions have a game on Friday against the Faroe Islands, which will decide the winner of the Group D in Magdeburg.

Angola took the lead in the first minutes, and it was a really combative performance from the African side, which proved to be no pushovers after conceding a 13-goal loss against the Faroe Islands two days ago.

In fact, at the break, Spain were only up two goals, 17:15, with their defence carrying most of the blame for the small gap, as Angola constantly found ways to frustrate it. Sure, Spain were good in attack, especially converting open goal opportunities or fast breaks, but they had to sweat until they did open a more significant gap.

A 3:0 run to start the second half helped, but Angola still managed to hover around, as Spain got to grips after they had two players out due to injuries – right wing Antonio Martinez Llamazares and centre back Bruno Reguart Massana. 

Yet the European side still had too much firepower for Angola, whose lack of experience proved to be crucial, with the African team making too many mistakes at this level to get something out of the game, which went Spain’s way (34:28) with left wing Marti Soler scoring seven times and right back Aleksandar Cenic adding six more goals.

With their second win in two games, Spain secured a berth for the main round while also delivering good news for the Faroe Islands, which also made it to the next phase of the competition, winning their first two matches. However, the top two sides in the group will collide on Friday, with the winner taking the points into the next round.

Therefore, Angola and Japan are out of contention and will head to the President’s Cup, but they still have one more game to play here in the GETEC Arena in Magdeburg on Friday, with the winner taking the points in the groups of the President’s Cup.

hummel Player of the Match: Marti Soler Biescas (Spain)

• Group E

Norway vs Hungary 22:31 (11:19)

Hungary claimed their second straight victory at the World Championship, beating Norway in an all-European clash. With four points, the Hungarians are close to reaching the main round, and they will secure their promotion if Denmark take at least one point against Argentina later today. 

Hungary’s advantage was obvious in the first half, as they started to show their firepower from the opening minutes. Goalkeeper Kristof Palasics made a few early saves, which gave his team confidence, and the Hungarians boasted a 76% shot efficiency before the break, compared to Norway’s 50%.

The situation somewhat changed after the restart, as Henrik Ibsen, who replaced Sivert Tryggestad in Norway’s goal, entered the game well and stopped some shots. The Nordic team slashed the gap to five goals several times and tried to put pressure on their rivals.

However, Hungary hardly were in serious trouble. Perhaps their 27:22 lead ten minutes from full-time still gave the Scandinavians some hope, but Norway failed to score any goals in the remaining time. So a 4:0 run in the closing stage of the game sealed Hungary’s nine-goal victory.

As many as 12 their players put their names on the scoresheet, with Peter Lukacs – who was elected hummel Player of the Match – converting all his six attempts. At Norway, Tord Lea Knudsen became a top scorer with five goals, as his team suffered their second consecutive defeat. 

hummel Player of the Match: Peter Lukacs (Hungary)