Spain are the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals at the 28th IHF Men's World Championship after they sealed their fifth win in a row (31:26) against Slovenia, creating an unassailable gap in the standings, with only matchday to go in the Main Round Group I in Krakow.
France are also qualified for the quarter-finals, irrespective of their results in the last two matches, due to the head-to-head record against Slovenia and Montenegro.
Main Round Group I
Slovenia Times
21. January, 2021
Cairo – Slovenia made their first step towards the quarter-finals at the World Men’s Handball Championship in Egypt with a convincing 10-goal win against North Macedonia in the first match of the main round on Wednesday.
North Macedonia, who were last-minute replacement for the Czech Republic at the tournament, were a match for the Slovenians only in the first phase of the game, with Slovenia separating themselves towards the end of the first half (13:9).
Slovenia needed only ten minutes in the second half to take a nine-goal lead (21:12), from which the Macedonians never recovered. Slovenia were also able to save a lot of energy for the remaining matches at the tournament.