MADRID, 16 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s handball team beat the Chilean team 31-22 this Thursday in their first match of the World Championship, which is being held in Denmark, Norway and Croatia, and thus they have begun their journey in Group F of the Preliminary Round.
At the Unity Arena in Oslo, the ‘Hispanos’ had the debut of their young stars, those in whom Jordi Ribera already trusts so much for the generational replacement of a winning team. Of course, the Chilean team made it difficult for them at the beginning of this match, relying on Erwin Feuchtmann’s effectiveness in close-range shots.
Feuchtmann himself also converted two 7-meter throws, against a starting Sergey Hernández and with greater prominence than Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas. On the Spanish side, Imanol Garciandia was the one who best interpreted the attacking plans, with cuts in front of both Chilean centre-backs, sometimes defining him and other times assisting the pivot.
Esteban Salinas joined the dangers of a Chile that took advantage of two offensive fouls committed by Agustín Casado, as demonstrated by Rodrigo Aedo on the counterattack to score from the left wing and then Feuchtmann making it 5-8, without even 10 minutes having elapsed.
Goalkeeper Felipe García had contributed to that Chilean advantage with a 7-meter save against Dani Fernández, an instance that was later repeated between arreón and arreón by Spain. For that reaction of the team coached by Ribera, the key name had been Djordje Cikusa, whose entry on the field established the defense and propelled the comeback before the break.
With Ian Tarrafeta and Carlos Álvarez as daggers on the sides and on the counterattack, the ‘Hispanos’ went into the break with a 17-13 score, something more expected in the run-up to this World Cup debut. But it was necessary to confirm this theoretical superiority against the South American team, which seasoned the start of the second half, with several substitutions.
The depth of the bench in Spain was a weapon that Ribera knew how to exploit, especially by covering gaps at the back when the rival full-backs crossed paths, and thereby promoting many transitions from which Dani Fernández and Tarrafeta took advantage. Jan Gurri and Carlos Álvarez did not clash either while Spanish income grew and grew (26-18).
With calm in the final stages, and despite a 0-3 partial deficit after a goal from Aedo on the counterattack, Spain secured its first victory in this World Cup. The other Chilean goalkeeper, Vicente González, had four worthwhile interventions and prevented a greater distance in the electronic stadium of the Norwegian capital.