One of today’s early big matches in the Boys 16 category truly lived up to expectations. On Heden, IFK Ystad faced off against the Partille World Cup giants RK Zagreb, and today it was the Croatians who came out on top.
The 54th edition of the biggest handball tournament in the world – Partille World Cup – is now finally underway, and at Heden, Gothenburg Sweden, there are big matches wherever you look. One of today’s early treats was the game between IFK Ystad and RK Zagreb.
The match was a classic first cup game with a slippery ball, quick goals, and many hard but fair hits.
A big Ystad team started the match best and quickly gained an advantage, but Zagreb did what they always do in the Partille World Cup and quickly came back. The match then continued on a physical path, with little space for each player and tough play. The Partille World Cup-experienced Croatians then quickly slowed down the pace as soon as they were in the lead.
However, Ystad did not give up, constantly staying within a two-goal reach. With little time left, the exact time known only to the referees in classic Partille World Cup fashion, the teams were tied again. But when the referee’s finger was up in the air to show one minute remaining, RK Zagreb was in the lead and maintained it until the end of the match. The Croatians got a penalty in the last second and could set the final score to 16–18.