Zamalek cruise to easy win against Sydney Uni

After a bitter defeat against Barça in yesterday’s quarter-final, Zamalek SC bounced back against Sydney Uni to take their first win in the 2021 IHF Men’s Super Globe, 38:19.
 
The Egyptians are virtually assured of avoiding to finish on one of the last two places in the final standings and will play their last game on Saturday against Saudi hosts Al-Wehda, while Sydney finish their account against the Saudi side tomorrow.
 
PLACEMENT ROUND 5-10
Sydney Uni Handball Club (AUS) vs Zamalek SC (EGY) 19:38 (7:18)

For 10 minutes, it looked like Sydney were going to put up a meaningful fight against Zamalek, only one day after the Egyptian team stormed to a 5:0 lead against Barça in the first ten minutes.

Until that point, the two teams traded goals, 4:4, but Zamalek looked like they were getting more clear-cut chances to score. The next 20 minutes, however, were a totally different story.

Amping up their effort in defence, Zamalek neutralised the Australian attack, much to the delight of their fans present in the Jeddah Arena.

A partial score of 14:3 ensued, as Sydney’s top scorer in the first game, Bevan Calvert, missed two penalties and scored only once from his five shots, with the Egyptian side firmly in control.

As Zamalek’s goalkeeper, Mahmoud Khalil, saved 10 shots for a 57% saving efficiency, it did not take long for the Egyptian side to build a healthy 18:7 lead at the break, which was preserved until the final whistle.
 
With such a big gap already established, Zamalek used all their players, but Sydney still stood little chance in the second half.

Zamalek’s top scorer in the first game, Akram Saad added seven goals, as the gap grew, with Zamalek scoring their second biggest win in the competition ever, 38:19, only three goals shy of their record set against another Australian side, Southern Stars, in 2012.
 
With one win and one loss in the 2021 IHF Men’s Super Globe, Zamalek will play their third and last game in the competition on Saturday, where they face Saudi side Al-Wehda, being almost certain of avoiding one of the last two places in the final standings.
 
On the other hand, Sydney Uni will try to avoid finishing on the last place in the competition for the fifth time in a row, when they face Al-Wehda on Friday.