Brazil seal historic 10th consecutive win, Egypt confirm second place

Brazil secured a historic 10th consecutive win at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, being still undefeated and clinching the lead in Group A, with a dominating performance against Japan, 2:0, while Egypt went back to their winning ways, with a 2:0 win over India, which saw them finish second in Group B.

With the preliminary round of the 2024 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship now done and dusted, the competition will have a rest day on Thursday, returning with the quarter-finals and semi-finals on Friday.

GROUP A
Brazil vs Japan 2:0 (7:5; 9:5)

Another win – their third at the 2024 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship in as many matches – would have been Brazil’s 10th consecutive in the competition, setting up the first-ever double-digits streak and would have secured the South American side the first place in their group.

But playing against Japan – a fast-paced and very tactical team – was no easy feature, especially as Brazil were not as impressive, rather relying on their star power to clinch the wins so far, working hard in defence to limit the opponents. The two sides started trading points, changing leads quite easily, but eventually it was Brazil which really pushed harder.

Their experience was crucial in establishing the lead, as Denise Eusébio and Anderson Ferreira each scored three points, while Guilherme Lourenco added another one, to help Brazil secure a 7:5 win in the first set, once again enabling Japan to think about more, especially with their top scorers, Shinnosuke Morooka and Yukitaka Moriya, ready to pounce.

But it was a combination of Brazil’s fantastic defence and some big turnovers from Japan which really tilted the scales into the South American team’s way. Morooka scored eight of Japan’s 10 points in the match, while Moriya added only one, with Brazil completely dominating the second set.

Lourenco ended the match with five points, the largest output for Brazil, as the reigning champions dominated the second set, which they took, 9:5, being especially efficient in the end, while Japan paid tribute to their lack of efficiency, with only 33% of their shots converted in goals.

As Brazil secured the 10th win in a row at the  IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, they also clinched the first place in the group, as they face France in the quarter-finals, the only team which has not scored a point yet in the competition. Japan are due to face Egypt in the next phase, as every team is now gearing up for a place in the semis.

GROUP B
Egypt vs India 2:0 (8:3; 8:2)

Egypt were still reeling after their loss against Portugal, but with the prospect of missing out on the second place in Group B, there was no room for mistake in the match against India, a team which had previously lost the last two matches, but went pretty close against both Portugal and Chile.

For three minutes, India had something going for them, as they took an early 3:1 lead, with their top scorer in the competition, Ramavath, had two points. But since Egypt amped up their defence, India failed to score in the last six minutes and 24 seconds of the first set, with Egypt running riot.

In fact, it was their top scorer, Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas, who had an off match against Portugal, coming back into the fold and delivering a pitch perfect performance. With eight points on the board – all of Egypt’s points in the first set – he singlehandedly spurred a comeback, a 7:0 run, which all but made sure that the African side secures the win in the first set.

But Egypt were only halfway there, needing another good outing in the second set to clinch the win. They went on to do just that, as Talaat Abdo Abbas was literally unstoppable, putting 15 points past India in the end, while Egypt cruised to a 2:0 win.

As India could only score two points – their lowest output in a single set so far at the 2024 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, Egypt continued to score at free will, eventually taking an 8:2 win in the second set and, consequently, their second win in three matches in the competition.

However, due to their loss against Portugal, they could only finish on the second place, which means they will face Japan in the quarter-finals – a tough proposition for any team. In turn, India, which finished last, will meet the winners from Group A, Brazil, the reigning champions in the next phase of the competition.