Republic of Korea secure fourth with second win

Round five for Group B at the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship opened with Republic of Korea taking their second victory, as they defeated Australia by a clear 18-goal margin to cement their place in fourth on the table. Australia finished the preliminary round, at what is their first IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, with five defeats. 

GROUP B
Republic of Korea vs Australia 38:20 (20:15)

A stronger first half from Australia enabled them to stay within reach, with a five-goal distance at the break – but in the second 30 minutes the difference between the sides became clear. 

The game was completely level until the 20th minute, 12:11, before an 8:4 run for Republic of Korea pulled them in front to the five-goal cushion. Australia worked hard but their power diminished as the clock ticked on, while Korea did not slow their pace, outscoring their opponents 18:5 in the second period to finish with a decisive victory. 

Australia could see trouble ahead when Korea reached a 10-goal lead, 26:16, six minutes into the second period. The Oceania team’s goalkeeper, Bjorn McCourt, finished with a respectable tally of 15 saves – including a penalty in the 23rd minute, 18:14 – but the 53 shots he faced hurt his percentage. However, his counterpart, Minseok Kim, finished the game with a 53% save rate thanks to eight stops. 

The top scorers of the game were Yoseb Lee and Jake Ljungberg, with six goals apiece. 

Player of the match: Yoseb Lee, Republic of Korea