Spain had no problems with Japan and Denmark had no problems with Italy.
– Denmark is truly unbeatable, said Italys Head coach Riccardo Trillini on the Italian Handball Federation’s website.
As expected, Spain had already pulled away from Japan by halftime, leading 20–11. In the second half, Spain’s dominance continued, and Japan’s situation worsened when they received two red cards in the final minutes. First, Naoki Yamaguchi was sent off for failing to hold a Spanish player in the air, and four minutes later, Nikita Nakaoki was shown red after making contact with a Spanish player’s face.
Japan now needs to focus on Monday’s decisive match against Chile, which lost to Sweden 30–42. This game will determine which team advances to the main round and which team moves on to the Presidents Cup.
– We were overwhelmed by Spain’s quality from start to finish. Now we have one match left, against Chile, and we want to give it everything to win – for our Japanese fans and for the team, said player Tsubasa Nakamura on the federation’s website.
In Denmark, the host nation overpowered Italy. The final score was 39–20, and Italy’s head coach was quick to praise the Danes.
– Denmark is truly unbeatable, on a higher level both technically and mentally. It’s a team that enjoys playing, is never satisfied, and is definitely something special, Riccardo Trillini told the Italian Handball Federation’s website.
Denmark has now secured the group victory, while Spain will face Sweden in a decisive match for the group win.