The Gladiators received a major blow against Germany and will no longer be able to fight for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup

A heavy blow received the gladiators in his Main Round debut of the Men’s Handball World Cup in Sweden and Poland. The Argentina national team lost overwhelmingly, 39-19, against Germanyone of Europe’s major powers, making its first appearance in group III and has exhausted the chances to challenge for qualification to the quarter-finals.

Pedro Martinez, with five goals, was the national team’s top scorer; while Pablo Simonet added four.

The blue-and-whites were unable to repeat the good match they played against North Macedoniaat the end of the opening phase, and was clearly surpassed by a rival who could not contain at any point in the match, played in Katowice.

The Germans – who had finished first in zone E of the first phase with a record 102 goals scored – swept the first half by winning 24 to 11. With those two dozen whoops they equaled the record for most goals scored by a German international in the first half of a World Cup match, founded 20 years ago in Portugal 2003, when he had also converted that number against Australia.

With a Lukas Mertens inspired (he added five goals in the first 30 minutes), a great contribution of Juri Knoor (4 goals) and an archer, Andrea Wolffinsurmountable, the European team managed the match as they pleased and went on the counterattack with a big lead.

In the plugin, the coach Alfred Gislason He gave their figures a break and, with several German substitutes on the field, the Gladiators were able to play a little more. The Albiceleste team seemed more solid in defense and in goal, with one Leonel Maciel which responded well in some situations. However, Germany continued to be superior and was able to further widen the gap in the table.

“We had a very bad day, it wasn’t what we expected, especially in the first half when nothing we had worked on came out. Now we have to think about the next matches and end the World Cup in a better way,” he commented. Paul Vaistein.

William MilanArgentine coach, said: “Now my main goal is to develop the team because the World Cup continues and we will try to win the two remaining games so that Argentina ends the tournament happy.”

Argentina entered this second stage by finishing third in group F, in which they added a win (against Macedonia, who were eliminated) and two defeats (against Norway and the Netherlands, the other qualifiers). He dragged the record of those two falls into zone III of the Main Round, in which he is last with a record of 0-3, 59 goals in favor and 100 conceded.

They have no chance of making the playoffs (which the top two in each group enter), but they need two wins to avoid what could be their worst ever world rankings. That score corresponds today to the 22nd place obtained in Japan 1997.

The Gladiators will face each other on Saturday, from 11.30 to Serbian and on Monday, at the same time, they will collide Qatarwith the aim of placing as high as possible between ninth and twenty-fourth position.

Germany, meanwhile, went 3-0 first and could seal qualification for the quarter-finals if they beat on Saturday Holland.