As the final whistle was blown, tears started flowing from the players’ eyes.

Most of them could not believe it. Did they win? Yes, they did. And almost immediately, they joined in a circle and celebrated the result.

For Puerto Rico, it was only the third win in history at a World Championship in men’s handball, with the previous two coming in their only appearance at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, in 2009, when they beat Morocco, 34:33, in extra-time, and Venezuela, 31:25, to secure the 17th place.

15 years later, Puerto Rico grabbed another win, this time also against Morocco, at the IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, securing a place between the top 10 teams in the world at this age category.

And for them, it meant the world.

“It is a fantastic feeling, one that cannot be described into words. Every training we had, every sacrifice we made, every thought we put into this competition, they all paid off today, when we managed to win this match. It is something incredible, something that I will carry with me the rest of my life,” said Puerto Rico’s Dylan Andreu, the Player of the Match against Morocco.

In the first three matches at the inaugural edition of the IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship, Puerto Rico lost by a combined margin of 62 goals, 25:43 against Argentina, 15:54 against Germany and 33:38 against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

That meant that Puerto Rico took their fast-paced style to the Placement Matches 9-12, where they first had to face Morocco. And for the first 15 minutes, they looked to be heading to yet another loss, being constantly down four goals.

But Andreu and teammate Antwan Garcia lead a resurgence for the North American team, combining for 21 goals, with Andreu scoring 11 on the way to being named the Player of the Match.

Andreu is taking part in his second World Championship in just a few months, after being part of the Puerto Rico team at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship. In fact, all of the players which were part of that beach handball team in June are now back for another competition, this time indoor, representing their country with pride.

“Handball has been something that I have practised since I was very young. It has been a sport that has marked my life, not only in sport, but in my daily life. It has made me a good man and a good athlete. Handball is everything to me,” says Andreu.

Translating his skills from the beach to indoor is not necessarily an easy task, but the Puerto Rico player has delivered some excellent performances at Morocco 2025, scoring 22 goals, two less than his teammate, Garcia.

But against Morocco, he was something special.

In the first half, Andreu was the driving force behind a Puerto Rico resurgence, which saw runs of 6:0 and 4:0 turn the match on its head and see the North American side grab the lead. Then, he scored in the second half some crucial goals which have helped tilt the balance in a roller-coaster match.

Take, for instance, the last five minutes of the match, when Puerto Rico and Morocco combined for 10 goals, with a 6:4 run for Puerto Rico. Or the total number of goals scored in the match – 84 – the largest so far in the competition.

“We never thought it would be like this. We knew it was going to be hard but we didn't know it was going to be this hard. But I trust that this all came out thanks to the instructions of our coach, Camilo Esteve. We followed the plan and the plan didn't let us down,” says Andreu.

The 16-year-old aims higher now, although he is growing together with his teammates, whom he also calls his idols, alongside other Puerto Rico players.

“Albert Pizarro, Juan Cepeda, and many of the young players that are coming up. These are my idols. My teammate, Antwan Garcia, is also a player who I look up to. He is one of the hardest working players I saw,” says Andreu.

And what does the future hold for Puerto Rico’s young stalwart, who is certain to start once again against the Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday, in the Placement Match 9/10 at Morocco 2025?

“In the future, I would like to live from this sport. To play on stages that I have seen in videos. To get to where I never thought I could get,” concludes the 16-year-old.