Women group A

 

Spain vs Norway 0:2 (9:13, 10:12)

Spain lost both the 2014 and 2016 World Championship main round matches against Norway, but emerged victorious in their encounter at the 2016 World Championships semi-finals and eventually claimed the title of world champions. On the second day of the preliminary round, Norway, the reigning European champions, turned the result around again and celebrated their 0:2 win.

 

Not many goals were scored during the match, a sign of an excellent defence on both sides. Norway adapted to the rainy conditions better and did not give Spain a chance to get in the lead in the first period.  “The ball was slippery, same as the whole court. But that was the same for Spain,” said Norwegian player Maren Ardaahl after the game.

 

In the second half, Spain scored the first goal but lost the lead after the Norwegian side scored two times in a row and got a hold on it until the final whistle.

 

 “It always feels amazing to win and especially with Spain, it’s always a tough battle. We know them pretty well, they haven’t changed their tactics for quite a long time and their team remains the same for years. And I think they know us well too,” said Ardaahl. “The hardest part was getting through their defence and to actually score goals, that was definitely the biggest challenge in this game. Luckily, we have good goalkeepers and a great defence as well.”

 

Argentina vs Tunisia 2:0 (16:15, 16:6)

Argentina celebrated their first win on the second day of the preliminary round with a 2:0 victory Tunisia. They struggled more during the first period and won by only one point. They confirmed their dominance in the second period, which ended 16:6.

 

“This was the most important match for us, we had to win this one,” explained Argentinian Carolina Rossi. We made some mistakes in the first period, but we corrected them in the second one.” After two lost matches against Norway and Spain yesterday, Rossi said that they felt “more confident and comfortable” today. But no matter the result, she stated that she and her teammates are excited to compete in Wroclaw and added that it is a privilege for Argentina to be at the World Games and play against the best teams.

 

Women Group B

 

Australia vs Poland 2:1 (10:13, 15:6, 5:2)

The Oceanian team stood up against the hosts. The cheering Polish audience gave the Poland team the energy to win the first half. But in the second period, the Aussies decided to use the atmosphere for themselves. In the very beginning they claimed the lead, did not let go of it and won by 9 points, 15:6.

 

“It was great! People cheering, great atmosphere…that’s what we came for – the atmosphere!” said Manon Vernay from the Aussie team. “In the 1st half, we have been a little bit shaky, but the second half was much better. We were more confident, did some good blocking and defences.”

 

Brazil vs Chinese Taipei 2:0 (23:8, 26:11)

Brazil added the third victory to their 2017 World Games collection. It was more of a beach handball lecture for the much younger and less experienced Chinese Taipei team, who appreciated every single match and took as much knowledge as possible from every game.

 

Rou-An Tang, one of the newcomers of the team of Chinese Taipei, commented after the match: “It is my first time in the world tournament and I am so excited to play with the best teams like Brazil. We all know they are really good and me personally, I was absolutely impressed by the way the Brazilian team plays, they are really good. It was really difficult for me to compare with their brilliant offense. The hardest part was probably the height. Brazilians were much taller than us.”

 

In tomorrow’s quarter-finals, Norway will fight Chinese Taipei. The Polish team will be playing against Spain, Argentina against Australia and Brazil will call Tunisia to a duel.