From the first minute of the match, Argentina took the lead and never backed down, dictating the rhythm. Their biggest lead in the first half was by five when right back Malena Cavo scored her fourth and opened an 11:6 gap, built on Ukraine’s consecutive two-minute suspensions. Goalkeeper Marisol Carratu’s saves were also crucial, as she boosted 35% saving efficiency, setting up Argentina nicely for the win.
But Ukraine did not give up and they stepped it up a gear in the closing moments of the first half, taking advantage of Argentina’s mistakes. At the break, the European side closed the gap to 13:11, after failing on a chance to cut it even further, to a single goal.
The Ukrainian side kept trying in the second half boosted by a top performance of Maryna Konovalova but their hasty attacks soon pushed Argentina to a new three-goal lead. This gap was held for almost 15 minutes but the Ukrainian lack of depth and poor ball handling were pivotal for Argentina’s new impetus. Backed by some other saves from the hummel Player of the Match, Marisol Carratu, with her closing the match with 17 saves at 46% save efficiency, Argentina spurred a 5:0 run between the 44th and 51st minute (23:17), which proved to be decisive.
Ukraine did manage to find new strength to close the gap to three once again, just three minutes before the end of the game, However, Argentina stepped up a gear in the closing minutes and with two quick goals restored their biggest lead and celebrated 25:20 win at the end of the 26th IHF Women’s World Championship road for them. The win could bring them a better placement than at Spain 2021, when they finished 21st, but it is still to be seen, after the main round concludes on Monday, with matches in Herning and Gothenburg.
Ukraine is saying farewell to their first world flagship competition after a 14-year hiatus with one win in seven matches played, as they only defeated Kazakhstan in the preliminary round. Argentina welcomed their second win at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 after having only beaten Congo in Group H.
Source : IHF
