Flawless Cuba earn second final berth in a row by eliminating hosts Bulgaria

For the second edition in a row, Cuba eliminated Bulgaria in the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship with a dominating second-half performance, which saw them clinch a 36:29 win on their way to the final on Sunday.

Hosts Bulgaria could only match Cuba for the first 30 minutes, dropping their level in the second half and will now try to secure their second bronze medal in a row, after the one clinched at Georgia 2019.

Semi-final

• Cuba vs Bulgaria 36:29 (17:16)

It was a game worthy of a semi-final at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship. It delivered a see-saw game, excellent goals, twists and turns and a great atmosphere created by the 1000 Bulgaria fans in the stands of the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna.

The start was absolutely fantastic, with the two sides trading 3:0 unanswered runs and Bulgaria replying with another unanswered 3:0 run to take a 6:3 lead, as Cuba failed to stop the hosts, which alternated fast-paced attacks with powerful shots from their backs.

The first warning sign for Bulgaria was when Dzhoshkun Yakubov, a lynchpin in defence, who celebrated his birthday, went off injured early in the first half. It allowed Cuba to have more of a presence in attack, materialised by another 3:0 unanswered run, which prevented Bulgaria from scoring for five minutes and 16 seconds.

Just like that, Cuba took the lead, 12:10, with eight minutes to go, as left wing Hanser Michel Rodriguez Rodriguez and left back Frank Enrique Cordies Castillo each scored five goals, being virtually unstoppable at the time.

Bulgaria bounced back but failed to stop the last attack. Therefore, at the break, they were down 17:16 in a game that did not suit their strengths, as the plan was probably to slow down the tempo, force Cuba to deploy longer attacks and wait for the turnovers to pile.

Mirroring Bulgaria’s antics from the first half, Cuba dropped their own 3:0 run to start the second half, as the hosts failed to adapt to their opponents’ fast-paced style. In total, 10 goals were scored in the first nine minutes of the second half, with Cuba jumping to a 25:19 lead.

It was a combination of goalkeeper Magnol Suarez Fis, the shot-stopper who made the All-Star team four years ago, dominating the Bulgaria attack, but also Cuba delivering absolutely dazzling speed in attack, with Daril Lois Gonzales Pedro being unstoppable on fast breaks. He scored all his three goals in such situations.

As Bulgaria failed to get any momentum going, while right wing Svetlin Dimitrov was silenced to only six goals, hitting the 200-goal milestone, the first player in the competition's history to do so, Cuba took advantage and sealed an impressive win. Led by Rodriguez, who scored nine goals, jumping to the second place in the top goal scorer standings with 23 goals, Cuba controlled the game's final stage to emerge with a 36:29 win.

Four years ago, Cuba needed extra time to down Bulgaria (39:36) in the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship. This time around, they made it look easier, showing a dominating second half that was impossible to match by Bulgaria.

Cuba will try and secure their first-ever trophy at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship on Sunday when they play the final, as Bulgaria will have their chance to retain their bronze medal from Georgia 2019 if they beat Great Britain in the bronze medal game.

Player of the Match: Ronaldo Hiriam Almeida Duquezne (Cuba)