Germany win big against Argentina, Qatar follow them to semi-finals at Morocco 2025

The final matches of the preliminary round of the 1st IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship saw the final semi-finals berths being confirmed, as Germany’s 44:22 win against Argentina seeing the European side become the best group winner.

Germany are due to face Qatar in the semi-finals, while Spain face Egypt in the next phase, as Germany had a better goal difference than Spain, +86 compared to +84.

GROUP C
Germany vs Argentina 44:22 (21:11)

Germany needed a 19-goal win against Argentina to leapfrog Spain in the three-way standings for the group winners, but the South American side also needed to avoid losing by more than 15 goals to preserve their chances of progressing to the next phase of the competition.

However, even from the get-go, Germany knew that they needed to push harder than ever and this is exactly what they did, as their defence seriously provided plenty of chances for the attack to score via fast breaks.

By the time Argentina called their second team time-out of the first half, Germany were already up by 12 goals, 17:5, after a 4:0 and a 6:0 unanswered run, with the European side running riot ahead of the Argentina defence.

Coach Dady Gallardo then resorted to a change in defence, from the more traditional 6-0 to a ultra-aggressive 3-3, and that worked wonders for some moments, with Argentina delivering a better finish of the first half, cutting Germany‘s lead to 10 goals, and bringing some beacon of hope for the second half.

However, the biggest mistake Argentina made was to go head-to-head with Germany in their high-octane pace and that resulted in a gassed team for the dying minutes, as well as double the number of turnovers made by the South American side – eight for Germany to Argentina’s 16.

With Germany’s goalkeeper, Tobias Dengler, finishing with 16 saves and a 43% saving efficiency, as well as centre back Leo Nowak scoring 17 goals, the European side continued pouncing and had a pair of 3:0 runs, another 4:0 run and a 5:0 unanswered run to deliver a huge win, 44:22, a 22-goal gap which was enough for Germany to secure the first place.

Germany finished the preliminary round with six points and a +86 goal difference, facing Qatar in the semi-finals, while Argentina head to the Placement Matches 5-8, missing out on the knockout phase.

Player of the Match: Leo Nowak (Germany)

GROUP A
Brazil vs United States of America 37:28 (19:13)

For a few minutes, Brazil were in with a chance to secure the semi-finals berth reserved to the best second-placed side between the three groups in the preliminary round of the 2025 IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship.

But those hopes went up in flames, as the final stretch of the match saw the United States of America bounce back, cut the gap and eventually concede a 28:37 loss, which saw them finish as the second-best third-placed side.

The start was all Brazil, as the South American side knew they needed a 14-goal win to progress to the semi-finals. And after eight minutes, they jumped to a 6:0 lead, with the USA team scoring for the first time after nine minutes and 51 seconds, as Brazil was thouroughly dominating.

But just as Brazil were preparing to reach the double-digits gap, cracks started to appear in their armour. USA came back and used an excellent run to cut the lead to a single goal, 10:9, yet at the break Brazil were still up by six goals, 19:13, after two consecutive 3:0 runs that destabilised the American side once again.

Rodrigo Rodrigues scored nine goals for Brazil, but the decisive moments of the match came in the closing 10 minutes. While USA cut the gap, 20:22, with 17 minutes to go, Brazil bounced back and opened an eight-goal lead, 28:20, after a 6:0 unanswered run.

The maximum lead for Brazil came in the 55th minute, when the South American side had an 11-goal lead, but a pair of turnovers and three missed shots sealed the deal, as USA finished the match with a 4:1 run to concede a 28:37 loss. 

Brazil finished on the second place in the group, while USA ended third, as both sides head to the Placement Matches 5-8.

Player of the Match: Rodrigo Rodrigues (Brazil)

GROUP A
Egypt vs Morocco 32:20 (18:12)

Already through to the next phase of the competition, Egypt’s only target was to secure their third win in a row and prepare for the semi-final against Spain, as hosts Morocco were still looking for their maiden win at the 1st IHF Men’s Under-17 World Championship.

And at least for the first five minutes of the match, when Egypt failed to score a goal, Morocco were enjoying the best start in the competition. But then, their African rivals bounced back in style, led by back Moamen Bakir, who scored six goals in the first half.

While Egypt’s goalkeepers were not really impressive, Morocco’s did not manage to do more and in the end it became a battle of the attacking efficiency and avoiding the turnovers, both of which Egypt did better.

Bakir finished the match with seven goals and three assists, seconded by Youssef Ahmed and Yassien Ramadan, who combined for 19 goals between them, as the gap grew bigger and bigger.

While at the break the difference was six goals, it continued to grow in the second half, as the pivotal moment came in the middle of the second half, when Egypt went on a 5:0 run to enhance their lead to 10 goals for the first time, 26:16. With no incentive to win by a bigger margin, Egypt eventually sealed a 32:20 win, and finished as the third best group winner, as they will face Spain in the  

Player of the Match: Youssef Ahmed (Egypt)