USA open account against Japan; Bahrain win big against Cuba

The United States of America claimed their first win at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship after beating Japan, 27:25, joining Bahrain at the top of the group.

Bahrain also finally found their and secured a dominant 39:26 win against Cuba at the start of the President's Cup for Group II. 

PRESIDENT'S CUP GROUP II
United States of America vs Japan 27:25 (15:13)

Japan began the match with remarkable energy, setting a high tempo that left the United States of America struggling to keep up in the opening 10 minutes. Tatsuki Yoshino led the charge for Toni Gerona's team, helping them to set an early lead as the USA defence had trouble with containing the Japanese attack.

However, everything changed when Douglas Otterstrom stepped between the posts for the USA. The goalkeeper made an immediate impact, registering his first save at thisWorld Championship edition and delivering a fantastic performance. With a stunning 58% save efficiency in the first half, Otterstrom denied Japan on seven occasions, pushing his teammates to a 7:0 goal run.

By the 18th minute, the Americans had turned a deficit into an 11:9 lead. Japan could not break free, having a 13-minute long scoring drought from the 11th to the 24th minute. When they finally found a way to the back of the net, they kept the contest close as they were heading to halftime.

In the second half, Japan came out strong, taking over the lead in the 35th minute, but after a short nip-and-tuck game, the USA once again stepped up and restored a three-goal lead (22:19) midway through the second half.

However, 19 turnovers plagued Japan and it was hard for them to make another comeback later in the game. The USA powered ahead to a six-goal lead just five minutes before the buzzer and decided the winner.

Right wing Sean Corning and left-wing Samuel Hoddersen made an impact for the USA with seven goals each, while goalkeeper Douglas Otterstrom had 11 saves at 39% save efficiency. For Japan, Tatsuki Yoshino remained the top scorer, netting eight times and Daisuke Okamoto also had 39% save efficiency. In the next game, Japan will try to beat Bahrain, while the USA faces Cuba.

hummel Player of the Match: Douglas Otterstrom (United States of America)

PRESIDENT'S CUP GROUP II
Cuba vs Bahrain 26:39 (11:16)

After three clear-cut losses, Bahrain finally celebrated their first victory at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, marking their fifth-ever win at a World Championship. Boosted by Mohamed Ali's performance between the posts, Bahrain had a blistering start and set a 5:1 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Cuba struggled to find their rhythm, faltering in attack and only managing their second goal in the 13th minute. Goalkeeper Magnol Suarez Fis did try to help Cuba, helping to limit Bahrain's lead to five goals at the highest in the first half.

However, Bahrain's motivation and experience became evident in the second half. Capitalising on Cuba's mistakes, Bahrain's fast transition widened the gap to 20:13 early on. Cuba continued to struggle, with their attack efficiency remaining below 40% attack efficiency.

Bahrain needed only ten minutes in the second half to hit the a double-digit lead (25:15) with the help of Mujtaba Alzaimoor and continued to build on it all the way to the end. 12 of their players scored at least once, while both goalkeepers had above 40% save efficiency, as Hesham Isa replaced Mohamed Ali, who was successful 12 times at 44% in 38 minutes of playing time.

Bahrain sealed their commanding 13-goal victory, courtesy of Ali Eid's second goal, while hummel Player of the Match Mujtaba Alzaimoor finished as their top scorer with six goals. For Cuba, only Dariel Garcia and Ronaldo Hiriam Almeida managed to score four times each, making them the best in their team. Their goalkeeper Adan Martinez, who is playing for the Croatian team Čakovec, had 30% save efficiency with six saves in the last 20 minutes of the match.

hummel Player of the Match: Mujtaba Alzaimoor (Bahrain)