Sydney Uni seal record win at the 2024 IHF Men's Club World Championship to avoid finishing on the last place

02 Oct. 2024

Sydney Uni seal record win at the 2024 IHF Men's Club World Championship to avoid finishing on the last place

33 against Ministros 2022Sydney Uni secured only their second win in their last seven appearances at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, 35:30, against the California Eagles, and avoided finishing last in this edition of the world club handball flagship competition, while also scoring the largest number of goals in a single match.

On the other hand, the Eagles will likely end up on the last position, after conceding a loss in each of the fourt matches played.

PLACEMENT MATCHES
Sydney Uni (AUS) vs California Eagles (USA) 35:30 (18:15)

Two of the three teams which failed to win in their maiden appearances at the 2024 IHF Men’s Club World Championship met in the only match played on Thursday in the competition, where both Sydney Uni and the California Eagles aimed to break their duck.

On paper, it looked like the Eagles had more going for them, averaging 23 goals scored per match, with the Australian side having only 19 goals scored per match, but it quickly became apparent that this is going to be a high-scoring match, with the two sides well-matched in attack.

The Eagles were better in the start of the match, taking a 4:3 lead, and going as far as taking a two-goal lead, 10:8, but then Sydney Uni answered with a 4:0 unanswered run, which set the tone for the rest of the match.

It proved to be the pivotal moment of the match, as the Eagles, a team which conceded 135 goals in the previous three matches, had nothing going their way in defence, where Sydney ran riot, delivering one of their best attacking performances in the history of the competition, putting 18 goals past the Eagles in the first half.

It was Sydney’s best performance in a single half at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, one which continued in the second half, as Lucas Goedert and Jeremy Gaulin were unstoppable.

The pair combined for 12 goals, each scoring six times, with Jan Kleinendam also chiming in six goals, as Sydney used some excellent runs to create a six-goal lead, 26:20, with 20 minutes to go, with the Eagles failing to get their attack in order, with a meagre 48% efficiency up until that point.

Eventually, as time ran out, the Eagles looked they could only limit the damage, cutting the gap to only three goals, but Sydney pushed the pedal to the metal and delivered a 35:30 win, setting a new record in their 11 appearances in the competition.

Until this match, the Australian side’s best attacking performance was set against Mexican side Club Ministros, in 2022, when they had 33 goals, but with their 35:30 win, Sydney beat that record by two goals.

With their maiden win in this edition and only their second in their last seven appearances in the competition, Sydney Uni are now sure of avoiding the last place in the final standings, finishing either seventh or eighth, depending of the results of the last day, where they meet Khaleej Club.

On the other hand, with four losses in four matches, the California Eagles are now virtually sure of finishing last, as Taubate will need to lose by 49 goals or more against Zamalek, to drop last, due to their current -33 goal difference, as opposed to the Eagles’ -82.

Player of the Match: Lucas Goedert (Sydney Uni)