No-nonsense win for Cyprus against the Republic of Moldova

Cyprus marked their first game at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship since 2017 with an excellent start over the Republic of Moldova, throwing off Group B by dominating throughout the 60 minutes of the game to take a 35:31 win.

Group B

• Cyprus vs Republic of Moldova 35:31 (19:13)

Back at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship for the first time since 2017, Cyprus entered the fray in exemplary fashion, starting strong with a clear win against the Republic of Moldova.

There was no stopping Cyprus even from the start of the game, as backs Loucas Paraskeva and Alexandros Charalambous were simply unstoppable, each scoring five goals and assisting three other goals, including a superb in-flight goal from Paraskeva via an excellent pass from Charalambous.

Therefore, the Republic of Moldova stood little chance even from the start of the game, despite getting closer and closer in the first 16 minutes, cutting the gap to one goal multiple times, at 7:6 and 9:8.

But Cyprus’ superior experience rubbed on the game, and it was clear that they were the better-settled side with a better defensive nous, which enabled them to switch seamlessly from a traditional 6-0 to a more aggressive 5-1, a style that did not suit the Republic of Moldova at all.

Apart from sharpshooter Vasili Vasilatii, who scored four times in the first half, Moldova failed to produce anything meaningful in attack, missing too many shots despite Cyprus’ goalkeeper, Georgios Ppoumos, making only three saves.

But at the break, Cyprus were cruising, leading 19:13 and setting up nicely for a calm second half in which coach Andreas Andreou could see other players on the court and rest his starters for the next game on Thursday against Australia. However, Charalambous was still running the show, scoring 10 goals and dishing five assists.

Eventually, Cyprus sealed a 35:31 win, despite leading by as many as 10 goals in the second half, but lost two of their most experienced players due to injury. Paraskeva, who finished the match with six goals and three assists in the 42nd minute, exited on a stretcher after he suffered a knee injury. At the same time, captain Demetris Nikiforou also finished the game on the bench due to an injury.

Coincidentally, Nikiforou and Paraskeva are the players with the highest number of goals and the largest number of selections for Cyprus at Bulgaria 2023. Their absence in future games might prove crucial to the team’s chances of securing the trophy.

It was also Cyprus’ second-highest win in history in the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, with the record set at Bulgaria 2017 (39:14) against Andorra still hard to beat.

Player of the Match: Loucas Paraskeva (Cyprus)