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USA deliver historic performance to reach final after beating reigning champions Brazil
20 Sep. 2024
The United States of America delivered Brazil their maiden loss at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, with a fantastic comeback, after failing to score one point in the first set. With a strong defence, USA pushed the match into the decider, then beat Brazil, 11:9, on penalties, clinching their maiden finals berth in the world wheelchair handball flagship competition.
SEMI-FINAL
Brazil vs United States of America (4:0; 2:5; 9:11 a.pen.)
The ambitious USA team – which set their eyes on the gold medal at the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship – had a three match-winning streak entering the semi-final against Brazil, and looked like they could seriouly derail the reigning champions’ challenge for a place in the final.
But the only loss in this competition for the American side came in the opener against Brazil, when they conceded the first set, 2:9, and the other one, 0:7, failing to score any point in the last 19 minutes and 16 seconds. But with a huge morale boost from the previous wins, the American side hoped that they could spring a surprise against the South American powerhouse.
However, Brazil had not conceded a set in the previous four matches and had only 27 points scored against them in that span, making them a team to be wary of, especially as the reigning champions were not the attacking powerhouse they once were in 2022.
But Brazil stuck to their plan and used their weapons efficiently, displaying another flawless performance in defence, with the USA failing to score one point in the first sent. On the other side of the ball, the MVP of the 2022 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, Guilherme Lourenco, was unstoppable from long range, converting four shots, to help Brazil get one set closer to the final.
Therefore, it was all or nothing for USA after they conceded the first set of the semi-final, 0:4, and they started the second set in full fledge, scoring the first three points, taking an unexpected 3:0 lead after only four minutes and 20 seconds, more than they did in the previous 30 minutes combined against the reigning champions.
Brazil found themselves in an even more precarious position, after their top scorer in the match, Lourenco, was disqualified after conceding two suspensions, as the USA look primed to push the match into the decider, delivering Brazil their first set loss since the final of the last edition of the competition.
And from that moment on, it was all USA, which controlled the match, as Najee Smothers scored three points and Chayse Wolf added two more points, with USA taking a surprising 5:2 win, pushing Brazil to the limit and creating the perfect setting for a stunning upset in the decider.
But which team was going to seal the coveted finals berth? Was it going to be Brazil, the reigning champions and an infinitely more experienced team? Or the USA, a team which was only created two months ago?
The answer came after a dramatic shoot-out, after the first five minutes could not yield a winner, as the two sides ended deadlocked, 3:3, with Brazil really struggling to get their attacking game going, missing too many shots, boasting a 30% efficiency at the end of the 25 minutes.
Brazil were more experienced, having won the final two years ago on penalties, but this time around, the USA got the better of the reigning world champions. Three of USA’s penalties, two from Wolf and one from Smothers came from spinshots, counting double on the board.
And when Joon Reid saved Jordean Rodriguez’s spinshot penalty, the sixth from Brazil, the American team started the celebrations, delivering the much-needed 7:5 win, which propelled USA to the final only two months after the team was created.
On the other hand, Brazil lost their maiden match in the competition, after a 11-match winning streak, and will now settle for the bronze medal match, a step back from the performance from two years ago.