Portugal achieved a historic feat at the Handball World Cup by first securing the presence in the quarterfinals after defeating Spain 35-29 at Unity Arena in Oslo. This was the first Portuguese win against the Spanish team in official games, in a game that will be marked as one of the most memorable moments of Portuguese handball.
The selection, guided by Paulo Jorge Pereira, remains unbeaten in this edition of the World Cup, which takes place in Croatia, Denmark and Norway. After triumphs on Brazil, Norway and the USA in the group stage, and a draw against Sweden at Main Round, Portugal consolidated its strength position before the last game of this phase against Chile on Sunday.
The duel against Spain was intense from the beginning, with a first half marked by balance. Despite some technical failures and difficulties in connecting with the pivots friar and Ituriza, Portugal managed to stay in the fight and went to the break to lose only 16-15.
In the second half, Portugal raised the level of play. Diogo Rema, who was elected better on the field, stood out in the goal with crucial defenses. The national team took advantage of a period of seven minutes without goals from Spain to take charge of the marker. Kiko Costa and Salvador Salvador were in great plan, while Rui Silva and the rest of the team took advantage of the opponent’s defensive errors to expand the advantage.
Despite moments of tension, with Spain to reduce the difference on some occasions, Portugal has shown serenity and maturity to hold the victory. The Spanish coach tried to adjust the team with a time discount, but the Lusos kept the control and ended with a comfortable margin.
With this historic victory, Portugal will now face Germany in the quarterfinals, reinforcing the dream of continuing to make history in this World Cup.
History in Oslo!
Portugal beats Spain for the first time and will guarantee the best result ever in a World Cup coming to the quarterfinals.– Pedro Cardoso (@ccmp04)
