Egypt make huge step forward in Malmö share
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Loading... - Pauline Roussel
- 20 Jan 2023
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Seven goals from right back Mohsen Mahmoud helped Egypt to the brink of the quarter-finals of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship as they saw off Belgium 33:28.
Ahead of the match, and on paper at least, the result was never in doubt: the World Championship debutants from Europe taking on Egypt, the host nation of the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, who finished seventh.
But an impressive Belgian performance combined with an Egyptian side working in a lower gear meant a competitive outing ahead of more important matches for both teams.
Main Round Group IV
Egypt vs Belgium 33:28 (22:15)
It was a game of two halves, but in a slightly different way than normal.
Scoring 22 (85% scoring rate) first-half goals and taking a seven-goal lead into the break, Egypt effectively killed off the match after 30 minutes.
But a lack of impetus and a Belgium side gaining valuable top-level experience made for an interesting second period which saw the Europeans outscore their rivals 13:11.
“We played a good first half, full of intensity, playing good in attack and good in defence, and that's why we were leading by seven goals,” said Egypt coach Roberto Parrondo.
“But the second half was not so good for us. Our intensity was decreasing a lot and we couldn't make 60 minutes at the level that I would have liked."
Egypt’s second half felt like they were wearing weights on their shoes – they did not reach double-scoring figures in that period until the 59th minute.
Belgian goalkeeper Arthur Vanhove made seven saves in the first half and was helped down the other end with five second-half goals from Sébastien Danesi.
While Belgium, who were missing winger Yannick Glorieux due to a positive COVID-19 test, may celebrate that second period, Parrondo will be slightly concerned about the motivation of his fully-rotated team following that blistering first half, although he dismissed that in the post-match media conference. Read More…
