Brazil dominant in south American derby

Both Brazil and Uruguay lost their opening matches at Poland/Sweden 2023 and were determined to earn their first points on Saturday.
Brazil, who had won all their previous encounters with Uruguay, were heavily favoured to celebrate a victory at the Scandinavium, and they ultimately beat their continental rivals by 11 goals. 

Group C

Brazil vs Uruguay 35:24 (19:10)

During most of the first half, the difference between the rivals was hardly noticeable. Uruguay's goalkeeper Felipe González made three saves by the fifth minute, as the teams were level at 2:2. 

However, González had a hard time stopping the Brazilian left wing Jean Pierre Dupoix, who scored four opening goals for his team to create a 4:2 lead. A bit later, Brazil's goalkeeper Leonardo Terçariol made a few saves. However, his colleague González also did his job well, so the reigning South and Central American champions still led by two goals midway through the first half (8:6).

Uruguay continued to fight bravely, but at the end of the first half, Brazil's better individual quality turned into their growing advantage. Terçariol stopped 10 balls before the break for an impressive 53% save rate, helping his teams score from fast counterattacks. The Brazilians enjoyed a 7:0 run between minutes 24 and 30, securing a comfortable nine-goal lead at half-time.

Uruguay restored some energy during the break and, as González made further saves, they managed to close the gap to 16:22 seven minutes into the second half. However, Brazil's cushion was big enough to maintain firm control of the match.

After a while, they found their rhythm again and enjoyed a 6:1 run to extend their lead to 28:17, which prompted the Uruguayan coach to take a timeout midway through the second half. However, by that time, it was clear that Brazil would win the match – and they did it in style.

Brazil's Rudolph Hackbarth became the top scorer of the match with seven goals from seven attempts, including five penalty shots. His teammate Terçariol, who played a key role in the crucial moments, ended the match with a 41% save rate. At the same time, both Uruguayan goalkeepers González and Luis Navarrete also did a good job, combining for 16 saves. 

The team coached by Marcus Oliveira may secure their main round spot later today unless Sweden lose to Cape Verde. And after two defeats, Uruguay have little chance of progressing and will most probably continue in the President's Cup. 

hummel Player of the Match: Leonardo Terçariol (Brazil)