While Spain enjoyed an emphatic win in their opening match at the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, Tunisia endured a tough defeat at the hands of a ruthless Slovenia side. The African side will therefore be determined to put on their strongest performance versus Spain in round two on Thursday 18 July. 

Tunisia and Spain will close the day for Group A. Prior to their match, Japan will meet Slovenia and the USA will take on Serbia in the other games for the group. 

GROUP A
Feature match: Tunisia vs Spain
As Travesas Sports Hall, 21:00 local time

Spain had a great start to their home World Championship, taking a commanding victory over the USA that signalled a strong beginning to their quest to defend the title won by the previous generation in 2017. The hosts hope to take their second set of two points when their campaign continues in round two, in what will be the first match in Vigo after they played round one in Pontevedra. 

As Tunisia had defeated Slovenia in their mutual clash at the 2017 Youth World Championship, the African team had surely expected to present more of a challenge to the European side. The round one match ended with a 32:25 result in Slovenia’s favour, which is certainly a decisive score line, but even that did not reflect the fact that the European team’s win was never in doubt. 

Tunisia struggled to find an answer to Slovenia’s fast counter attacks and strong defence at the other end of the court. As Spain are sure to play at a fast pace, the African team need to improve these aspects if they are to have a chance at taking their first two points at the World Championship. 

When these Tunisia and Spain squads met at the 2017 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, the European team recorded a 27:24 victory, indicating that if Tunisia can return to their best form, the home side’s fans can expect an exciting match. At Georgia 2017, Tunisia were eliminated by Portugal in the eighth-finals, while Spain went on to claim the silver medal. 

European teams in with strong chances for second wins

Round two for the group will begin with Slovenia meeting Japan at 17:00 local time. The European champions in this age category will be aiming for their second win, and Japan will undoubtedly face a tough task. However, one advantage for Japan will be that they know how to play with speed. Perhaps they can match Slovenia’s pace, although the European team are the clear favourites to take the two points. 

At 19:00 the USA will face Serbia, with the hope of clinching their first victory. Serbia started their campaign with a win over Japan in round one, while the USA were defeated by Spain by a decisive margin.