Japan open account; USA double down with crunch win against Cuba

In the President's Cup Group II, Japan claimed their first win at the World Championship by inflicting Bahrain their first defeat in this phase of the competition, 31:27.

The United States of America celebrated their second win and took first place in the group ahead of the decisive games on Sunday.

PRESIDENT'S CUP GROUP II
Japan vs Bahrain 31:27 (13:13)

After three straight defeats in the group phase, Bahrain were determined to make it big in the President's Cup. In their first clash, they were convincing against Cuba, but they failed to repeat the same against Japan. Bahrain started strong, leading by 9:4 after another great performance by their goalkeeper, Mohamed Ali.

However, Japan did not let go and continued to pounce, narrowing it down to 10:8 as Naoki Fujisaka netted his third. Goalkeeper Takumi Nakamura also joined the clash, saving four out of nine Bahrain's attempts and giving his teammates another chance to come even closer. Their good efforts were rewarded at the end of the first half when a good defensive setup left Bahrain without an answer and Japan levelled at 13:13.

Japan fueled a new goal run in the second half, and by the 43rd minute, they managed to take over the lead, setting a 21:20. Bahrain were there, not letting Japan rest too much and with better attack efficiency than in the first half, they transformed the match to a nip-and-tuck game right until the last five minutes of the game. In the decisive moments, it was Japan who were the lucky side, using a 4-0 unanswered run to seal the 31:27 win.

Left back Tatsuki Yoshino scored six for Japan's first win at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, while goalkeeper Takumi Nakamura, the hummel Player of the Match, had 11 saves at 33% save efficiency. For Bahrain, Mohamed Mohamed was once again the top scorer with six goals scored. In the last round, Japan will try to beat Cuba to stay near the top, while Bahrain will seek redemption against the United States of America.

hummel Player of the Match: Takumi Nakamura (Japan)

PRESIDENT'S CUP GROUP II
United States of America vs Cuba 27:26 (14:15)

Cuba seemed to play without pressure and more relaxed against the United States of America, which on the other hand knew a win would give them a chance to take over the group standings. That was reflected in the result in the first half as Cuba managed to get on a break with a narrow lead, 15:14. 

The USA had a good opening as they used the most out of Cuba's double two-minute suspensions, but soon Cuba equalised and kept the momentum going.

By the 17th minute, Cuba pushed the USA even further and, with a 3:0 goal run, got their hands on their first lead in the game (9:8), and they kept it until the halftime buzzer. The USA did not use their rotation to try and make a break and that was their downfall in the first 30 minutes.

Cuba continued their good outing in the second half, needing only five minutes to further stretch their lead to 19:16. The USA started the hunt and were able to finally catch up with their opponents as the game was coming into the last 10 minutes. Left wing Samuel Hoddersen netted his sixth in the game and set 23:23, marking a new beginning for the USA and just a minute later, he wrestled the lead back to his team's side. They were holding onto it until the final buzzer, even though Cuba did threaten in the last moments.

The USA took over the lead in the standings with four points and will secure a place in the President's Cup final if they beat Bahrain in the last game of the round. Cuba will play their last group match against Japan and the overall results will determine their Placement Match.

hummel Player of the Match: Alexandre Chan Blanco (United States of America)