The Portuguese lost the opening duel against Iceland, but then they raised their performance and crowned themselves against the Hungarians. They were more lively, converting chances and were held up by the excellent catching Miguel Ferreira. He neutralized 15 shots, trampled the opponent and the success rate of his interventions rose to 45 percent.
After losing to the Hungarians in the group in Kristianstad, Iceland made amends by clearly beating the Koreans 38:25 and advancing with two points. The Portuguese dominated the group by a score.
One hundred percent French and dull Poles
The French were once again missing star clutch player Diku Mem, but they didn’t mind at all. He was easily replaced by Nedim Remili, who converted seven out of eight shots and contributed to a 35:31 victory with a success rate of 88 percent. The favorites controlled most of the match with a relatively calm lead of three or more goals. Slovenians are also moving on.
The third advancing to the party from Group B are the home Poles. Although they beat Saudi Arabia 27:24, they go to the next stage without a point and their performance is far from ideal. They can rely only on Arkadiusz Moryt, who scored nine goals.
The Montenegrins, who advanced from the basic group of the WC for the first time in history, will have two extra points for the round of 16. Miloš Vujovič flashed with twelve goals, who had a big part in the victory against Chile 35:33. His team moves on, the South American team finished in Group A without a point. The Spaniards are without losing a point, having clearly beaten Iran 35:22.
Brazil struggled a bit with championship surprise Cape Verde, but won 30-28. Both teams from Group C advance. Another host – the Swedes – outclassed Uruguay in the training pace. Ten hits were scored by Hampus Wanne, eleven by Eric Johansson.
