Magnificent Brazil win against another European opponent, with fairytale extended

A dream edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship produced yet another magnificent win for Brazil, 26:25, against Spain, where the South American side delivered yet another impressive performance.

MAIN ROUND – GROUP III
Spain vs Brazil 25:26 (13:14)

Brazil were locked in the second place of the group after Portugal had earlier dominated Chile, 46:28, rested captain Thiagus Petrus, but were never going to back down from a challenge, as they had already won against Sweden and Norway in this competition.

Without Petrus, their defence was surely going to be weakened, but that was nowhere to be seen, despite coach Marcus Oliveira bringing in some new faces in the squad, as well as giving more playing time to players who did not feature so prominently, such as Leandro Alves Monte Da Silva or Renan Iziquiel Pinheiro Da Silva.

Still, the South American champions were brimming with confidence after their previous experienced in the Unity Arena in Baerum and provided two 3:0 unanswered runs, to take control of the match, 7:3, as Spain’s coach, Jordi Ribera, also offered ample playing time to younger players, such as the Cikusa brothers, Jan Gurri Aregay or Ian Barrufet.

But as Brazil continued to rotate their squad, Spain managed to mount a comeback and tied the score, 14:14, just in the start of the second half, but with only pride to play for both sides, Brazil bounced back and used another 3:0 run, morphed into a 5:1 one to create another four-goal lead, 22:18, with only 15 minutes left on the clock.

Only three players did not get on the scoresheet for Brazil in the match, but goalkeeper Mateus Cristian Martins Nascimento, who was selected for this match ahead of Rangel da Rosa, provided yet another clinical performance for the South American side, with 13 saves and a 38% saving efficiency.

Eventually, Spain ran out of steam in the end and allowed Brazil to take the lead, yet in the end, the final seconds were dramatic. “Los Hispanos” had the chance to draw, but Ian Barrufet missed the last chance of the match, with his last-gasp shot missing the target.

With their third win against an European side, Brazil finished the group second, but will now face the toughest possible opponent in the quarter-finals, reigning champions Denmark, in a crunch clash for the semis in the Unity Arena.

Spain finished on the 18th place in the final standings, which is by far the worst-ever finish for “Los Hispanos”, which also ended up 13th at the EHF EURO 2024, but clinched the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

hummel Player of the Match: Bryan Monte da Silva (Brazil)