USA are now in the middle of their best-ever run at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship, a three-game unbeaten run and a two-game winning streak, after securing a 25:23 win over Costa Rica.
 
The American team is now heading to the Placement Matches 25-28, with their next game being set against the winner of the match between Angola and Libya.
     
In Athens, Slovenia registered yet another big win to dampen the disappointment of missing the main round, 39:21 against Morocco, and head to the Placement Matches 17-20, where they face Norway, just a few days after conceding a 25:36 loss against the Scandinavian side.

Placement Match 17-24

• Slovenia vs Morocco 39:21 (17:10)

A strong performance against Morocco helped Slovenia to take their second win at the event and proceed to the Placement Matches 17-20, where they will face Norway on Thursday. So the European side will not finish below their worst-ever result, the 20th place at Turkey 1997.

Morocco will fight for the positions between 21 and 24. In their last match at the competition, the African side will face Saudi Arabia tomorrow. 

The Moroccans conceded only 23.6 goals on average in their previous matches, but their defence had trouble on Wednesday, as Slovenia scored 39 goals. Vid Miklavec and Tarik Mlivic became their leading scorers, netting eight and seven times respectively. 

In contrast, Morocco's shot efficiency stood at just 40%, as Slovenia's goalkeepers Luka Zupancic and Zan Rauh combined for 15 saves. Midway through the first half, the European team's advantage was not big, as they were in front 10:7, but a string of saves by Zupacic lifted them to a seven-goal lead at half-time.

Possibly Morocco eyed a strong second-half comeback. Still, Slovenia, who played their best game at the competition, continued to pull away after the restart – and they cruised to a commanding win. 

hummel Player of the Match: Vid Miklavec (Slovenia)

Placement Matches 25-32

• United States of America vs Costa Rica 25:23 (14:11)

The United States of America extended their winning streak and now have three in a row. Debutants Costa Rica even capped off one of their best performances at Germany/Greece 2023, but their lack of experience was visible in the game's decisive moments.

The USA hope to end the World Championship with another win on Thursday when they will face the winner of the Libya against Angola encounter in Placement Matches 25-28. Costa Rica are determined to stop the unlucky run and write down their first-ever win in the Placement Matches 29-32.

Costa Rica were in the lead twice in the game, at 2:1 and 3:1. When the USA caught up and Benjamin Edwards made a three-goal run, it was obvious that Costa Rica would not have as much concentration as they needed to keep the game tied. Loic Karrer added two of his goals and allowed the USA to make a half-time lead.

The USA could have had an even wider gap after the first part of the game, but goalkeeper Víctor Manuel Gómez Viales was the true hero for his side, saving eight shots at a 35% saving efficiency. The start of the second half looked good for the Costa Ricans, closing the gap to one (14:15), but a couple of saves by Mattia Cercola and powerful shots from centre back Dániel Hunyadi restored a four-goal lead.

Costa Rica had a close game again in the last ten minutes, mainly due to the numerous turnovers of the USA in the second half. Compared to the first half, when the USA had only two turnovers, by the 50th minute they were on 12. Lack of experience in decisive moments at big competitions is the reason why Costa Rica could not shift the momentum. Saúl Alberto Vargas Alfaro shone for Costa Rica with seven goals, while Benjamin Edwards also had a seven-goal outing.

hummel Player of the Match: Benjamin Edwards (United States of America)