Carlos Álvarez, Spain – Japan – IHF
Those from Ribera improved in everything to add the second victory and know they are already in the Main Round
MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Spanish men’s handball team defeated Japan (39-20) this Saturday on the second day of the 2025 World Cup held at the Unity Arena in Oslo, already ensuring its presence in the Main Round, the next phase in search of the crossroads.
Jordi Ribera’s men took a step forward, in play and also in the path of the tournament since they will be in that Main Round after their two victories. Spain, which will seek to advance with four points by beating Sweden on Monday in the last day of Group F, gave no option to a Japan unable to show its style.
After the debut without fanfare against Chile, the ‘Hispanics’ got serious against the Japanese, a team that fought last summer at the Paris Olympic Games, and punished their rival with the same medicine of an electric handball. After being 0-2 down to start, Ribera’s men became active in every way, tightened their defense and ran on attack.
Thus, with a good balance on both sides of the court, Japan did not find a single highway, dying in the positional attack with a dozen losses in the first half (20-11). At the restart there was a bit of a traffic jam for Ribera’s team, but the young Petar Cikusa, 19, left his calling card in the World Cup and put Spain at cruising speed, with a 30-15 lead 15 minutes from the end.
At no time did Japan know how to stop the ‘Hispanics’. After the 0-2 start, the Spanish force did not take long to double their rival on the scoreboard, from the stops of Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas and that defense that did not stop recovering balls (10-5). The rotation left some exchange of blows, and Daisuke Okamoto also contributed in the Asian goal.
Ribera had the scare of Dani Fernández’s sprained ankle, but Ian Barrufet came in with goals on the left wing. On the way to half-time, with Petar Cikusa beginning to take off, Spain achieved a maximum of nine goals in favor. Ribera’s men minimized a Japan unable to play its effervescent game by reading its attacks.
The double world champion did not let herself be carried away by the score and, after a somewhat thick restart, five minutes without scoring, Ribera’s team took advantage of the minutes. Petar Cikusa and Alex Dujshebaev led the Spanish attack on the match, especially the young Cikusa, who left actions of the quality he has within him.
Pérez de Vargas continued stopping and the defensive aid did not decrease either to, despite many exclusions, have controlled the strong Japanese one-on-one. The gale was Spanish and broke the game with 15 minutes left in the game (30-15). Hiroyasu Tamakawa’s injury did not help those of Toni Gerona, Spanish coach of Japan, while Ribera put the 5:1 defense into practice.
Ian Tarrafeta, four goals, Abel Serdio, seven, and Petar Cikusa himself, with six, marked the strong second half of a Spain that approached its best version before Sweden, the match that marks arriving in a good position to the Main Round. From there, the quarterfinals will emerge, although everything is still far away and the ‘Hispanos’ want to grow with the tournament.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–RESULT: SPAIN, 39 – JAPAN, 20. (20-11, at half-time).
–TEAMS.
SPAIN: Perez de Vargas (P), Hernandez (P), A.Dujshebaev, D.Dujshebaev, Tarrafeta, P.Cikusa, D.Cikusa, Garciandia, Gurri, Casado, Sole, Alvarez, Sanchez-Migallon, Fernandez, Barrufet, Serdio, Rosemary and Rodriguez.
JAPÓN: Takumi Nakamura (P), Okamoto (P), Sugioka, Tsubasa Nakamura, Tokuda, Kitazume, Yano, Tamakawa, Yoshino, Mizumachi, Fujisaka, Nakata, Arase, Nakaoki, Ichihara y Yamaguchi.
–PARTIALS EVERY FIVE MINUTES: 2-2, 7-3, 9-5, 11-7, 14-9, 20-11 –rest–, 20-13, 24-14, 29-15, 33- 16, 34-19, 39-20.
–REFEREES: Gasmi Karim (FRA) and Gasmi Raouf (FRA). Casado, Garciandia, D.Dujshebaev, Barrufet (2) and D.Cikusa (2) were excluded for two minutes by Spain. And to Tsubasa Nakamura, Mizumachi, Nakata and Nakaoki in Japan.
–PAVILLION: Unity Arena in Oslo.