The 2019 IHF Men’s South and Central American Junior Qualification to the 2019 Men’s Junior World Championship finished on Sunday April 7, with Argentina, Brazil and Chile clinching the three berths available at the six-nation event in Palmira, Colombia. Undefeated Argentina finished with the maximum 10 points ahead of Brazil on eight, Chile on six, Venezuela on four and Colombia on two. Paraguay did not record any wins and therefore ranked sixth overall, with zero points.

 

Argentina and Brazil were equally dominant throughout the tournament – it was only one goal, in their mutual encounter, that decided which side would claim first place. On the final day of competition on Sunday, Argentina won the classic derby 26:25.

 

Both teams proceeded through their campaigns with only victories. Brazil opened with a 44:16 result against Paraguay, before defeating Colombia 52:17, Venezuela 46:16 and Chile 31:21. Meanwhile, Argentina took a 10:0 forfeit win over Venezuela on day one, then beat Paraguay 37:14. On day three of competition, Argentina handed Chile their first loss, 28:24, and went on to record a 31:24 win versus Colombia, before the final showdown against Brazil that decided first place.

 

Chile also enjoyed a strong opening, taking a 31:24 win against Colombia in their opener then beating Venezuela 38:18. Their first stumbling block came with the loss to Argentina in round three, which was followed by their 10-goal defeat at the hands of Brazil. Chile clinched their berth at Spain 2019 thanks to their 35:31 win against Paraguay in the final round.

 

In the other matches, Colombia enjoyed their first taste of victory in round three, when they beat Paraguay 39:30. Venezuela joined Colombia on two points following their round four win over the same opponent, 32:31. In the direct encounter between the two on day five, Venezuela won 25:24.

 

The top scorer of the tournament was Brazil’s Guilherme Torriani, with 32 goals in five matches.