Zamalek and Taubaté secured wins in the two opening matches of day 4 at the 2025 IHF Men's Club World Championship, enhancing their chances for a better placement at the end of the competition.

Placement Matches 5/6
Sharjah SC (UAE) vs Zamalek SC (EGY) 26:29 (14:14)

Once again, Zamalek SC were going to finish between the fifth and sixth place at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, with the final standings decided by a doubleheader against debutants Sharjah SC on Tuesday and Thursday.

The Egyptian side, which lost by 22 goals in the previous match, against Barcelona, made a coaching change mid-competition, replacing Franck Maurice with Mohammed Hassan, but that move did not look to pay immediate dividends in the start of the match against Sharjah.

Instead, the Emirati side jumped to an early 7:3 lead after only six minutes, with Mahmoud Radwan once again providing the goods, like in the previous loss against SC Magdeburg.

Sharjah did manage to keep the four-goal lead until close to the break, but two goals from Ziad Hashad helped Zamalek put together a 5:1 run to take the lead, 14:13, only for the score to be tied at the break, 14:14.
Radwan accelerated in the second half, bringing his total up to eight goals, and with 15 minutes left on the clock, Sharjah looked in control, 23:20, especially as Hisham Doeib got a red card for a tough foul.

But in those last 15 minutes, Sharjah’s attack fell, prompting Zamalek to mount a comeback. Hashad, an up-and-coming Egypt centre back, scored seven goals in the match, to lift his side to a 29:26 win, before the two teams meet again on Thursday.

Player of the Match: Ziad Hashad (Zamalek SC)

Consolation Round 7-9
Handebol Taubaté (BRA) vs Sydney Uni (AUS) 35:21 (18:10)

After a nine-match losing streak at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, who spanned between 2022 and 2025, Handebol Taubaté finally secured a win, after a dominating performance against Sydney Uni, 35:21, likely avoiding finishing on the last place.

After the Brazilian side had lost both against Zamalek SC and FC Barcelona, they really had no issue against Sydney Uni, starting with a 4:0 unanswered run, which prevented the Australian side to score until eight minutes and 38 seconds in the match.

The gap continued to grow, as backs Lucas Mendes Santos De Souza and Gustavo Andrade da Silva combined for 16 goals in the match for Taubaté, which led by eight goals, 18:10, at the break.

Andrade da Silva, who had 10 goals from 10 shots and was the Player of the Match, continued to dominate in the second half, as Taubaté scored 17 goals, with goalkeeper Lucas Pereira dos Santos saving 11 shots from the 22 he faced, for an outstanding 50% saving efficiency.

As Sydney’s attack was limited to an efficiency lower than 50%, they failed to really produce anything, eventually conceding a 21:35 loss, their third in a row in the 2025 edition, with the last match they play, the one against California Eagles on Wednesday, being their last chance to take a win.

Player of the Match: Gustavo Andade Da Silva (Handebol Taubaté)