
Player replacements: 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship
January 18, 2025
Cuba downed as Palmarsson adds rocket fuel to Iceland
January 18, 2025Sweden displayed yet another excellent attacking performance, doubling down on their 39:21 win against Japan with a XX:XX win against Chile, securing their main round berth at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.
GROUP F
Chile vs Sweden 30:42 (19:20)
If Sweden thought that their match against Chile would be a walk in the park, they were in for a surprise, as the South American side deployed a fantastic performance in the first half, just like they did against Spain two days ago, in their opener at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.
Once again, Chile accepted the challenge of a fast-paced rhythm, scoring at free will for most of the first 30 minutes. In fact, there were 39 goals scored in the first half, but Sweden were not by much in front, only by the slightest of margins, 20:19, as Chile stood their ground and created some great chances, converting them into goals.
And it would have been even worse were it not for goalkeeper Fabian Norsten, who replaced Andreas Palicka between the posts for this match, as Norsten had nine saves for a 33% saving efficiency, with both sides finishing their attacks on average in 25 and 27 seconds respectively.
Once again, Chile’s all-time top scorers at the IHF Men’s World Championship, backs Erwin Feuchtmann and Rodrigo Salinas, led the charge, with five and four goals apiece, inching closer to the 250-goal mark, as they were both tied on 242 goals before the match against Sweden.
But it was the sheer will of Chile which impressed, as the South American side never backed down and tried to stay as close as possible, even when Sweden took a four-goal lead close to the end of the first half, 19:15. With a 4:1 run engineered by Salinas and Feuchtmann, Chile got back to a single goal and threatened Sweden with a run for their money in the second part.
But just like in the match against Spain, the South American side simply did not have enough depth to compete until the end, as Rodrigo Salinas, Feuchtmann or Esteban Salinas simply lacked the firepower to manhandle Sweden in the second part.
Emerging line player Felix Möller had one of his best outings in Sweden’s shirt, with 10 goals, while right back Albin Lagergren, the hummel Player of the Match, was also close, with eight goals. Returning to the national side after a hiatus, right wing Niklas Ekberg also scored five times, as Sweden’s gap increased, as the time passed.
First, the Scandinavian side opened a five-goal lead for the first time in the 38th minute, 26:21. As Sweden used a 5:0 run, morphing into an 8:1 one, the lead hit double digits, 35:25 in the 49th minute, with Chile simply not having the means to stop Sweden’s free-flowing attack, which is the highest scoring so far at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, with an average of 40.5 goals scored per match.
Sweden clinched their second win in as many matches in the competition and will now head to the main round with at least two points. They will face Spain in the group’s most interesting clash on Monday, as Chile are preparing for a do-or-die match against Japan, with the winner going into the main round.
A draw would be enough for Chile, which have a better goal difference than Japan, with the South American side eyeing their first appearance between the top teams in the world handball flagship competition, always heading to the President’s Cup in the previous eight seven appearances.
hummel Player of the Match: Albin Lagergren (Sweden)