Spain Falters Against Norway, Complicating Path to Quarterfinals

Spain's handball team blurred their path to the World Cup quarterfinals with a narrow defeat against host nation Norway. Spurred by the serious threat of an early knockout in their championship, Norway overturned a five-goal deficit in the second half through a 7-on-6 strategy, guided by the talented Grondahl and the efforts of their star Sagosen, who was injured near the end.

In the last quarter of an hour, Spain lost a solid lead built on defense, especially in the first half. With a strong 5-1 defense, they managed to control Norway for much of the match, a team they had defeated in the International Tournament of Spain, a preparatory event for the World Cup. Norway entered the match in trouble, with zero points in the second phase after surprising losses to Brazil and Portugal.

The draw between Sweden and Portugal in the previous match allowed Spain to climb to the top of the table before the decisive match against Portugal on Friday. Spain approached the game buoyed by the Dujshebaev brothers, who were in fine form and scored most of Spain's early goals. The wingers had the accuracy that Casado lacked at the start, a circumstance that allowed Norway to quickly react and bring balance to the first half. The shots from Lyse and Abelvik Rod hit the Spaniards, who managed to control the feared Sagosen, who has been underwhelming in the World Cup, one of the reasons for Jonas Wille's team's poor performance so far in the tournament.

The 5-1 defense, led by the young Ian Barrufet in the advanced position, significantly hindered Norway's circulation, giving Spain the first significant advantage with a 7-9 lead. From there, Jordi Ribera's team maintained that small lead by stifling the Nordic attack, thanks to a great defensive effort that slowed the pace of the game to a minimum. In this context, the goalkeepers emerged, with Pérez de Vargas for Spain and Kristensen for Norway, who improved from the bench over his teammate Bergerud. The score, very low for today's fast-paced handball, kept the Spaniards ahead at halftime, with an interesting three-goal lead (10-13) but everything to play for in the second half.

A series of errors, mainly offensive fouls, marked the resumption of a still slow-paced game. The anticipation of the Spanish defense increased Norway's doubts, who were already glimpsing a knockout in their World Cup, while on the other side of the court, the shooter Garciandia punished the Nordic net from a distance to reach a five-goal lead (13-18).

It was then that Sagosen, under the threat of a couple of exclusions, made his presence felt to bring Norway closer as the game became much more open in its attacks. The co-hosts of the championship reacted through the 7-on-6 strategy and Grondahl's leadership, bringing the match to 18-20 with a long quarter of an hour remaining.

The match entered its decisive phase, becoming an exchange of blows, a much more frantic scenario that gradually eroded Spain's lead. The 22-22 draw with eight minutes left fired up the Oslo crowd, who had seen their team on the brink of elimination just minutes earlier. Spain's attack, in collapse, found no way to break through a Norwegian wall that facilitated counterattacks by Bjornsen and Pedersen, turning the game around. Now it was Spain on the ropes, but Jordi Ribera's team clung to the match. A foul by Javi Rodríguez prevented the equalizer in the last minute, but Norway's mistake gave one final opportunity, which ended without a chance to avoid the blocked shot with time expired that Garciandia could not turn into a miracle.