Faroe Islands were close to delivering yet another shock at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, missing out closely on a win against Germany, as a determined Nordic side secured a 28:28 draw against their opponents.
In Group A, Sweden overcame a mighty comeback by Austria, to edge closer to the main round, with a 34:32 win, their second in a row at Egypt 2025.
Group A
Austria vs Sweden 32:34 (15:21)
The battle for first place in Group A delivered everything it promised — intensity, fighting spirit, a thrilling comeback, and a tense finish. In the end, it was Sweden who held their nerve when it mattered most.
The opening minutes saw the teams trade goals, with Austria the first to pull two clear at 3:1. However, Sweden quickly responded, led by the influential Nikola Roganović, to turn the score in their favour. The contest remained tight until the 18th minute, when Sweden made a defensive adjustment and brought on Viggo Hakansson for Oskar Arnell. The change injected greater stability into the Swedish game while simultaneously creating problems for Austria.
A decisive 5:0 run saw Sweden surge ahead, building a seven-goal cushion shortly before the break. Austria relied heavily on the attacking duo of John Baxter and Lukas Fritsch, but the first half ended with them trailing 15:21 and needing a strong response.
Austria sought to reignite their comeback early in the second half by introducing goalkeeper Sergej Novaković, who immediately impressed with a 50% save rate. However, their attack faltered in the opening minutes, and the gap stayed at seven until the 40th minute.
Momentum then shifted. Sweden began taking rushed shots, allowing Austria to pounce with a 3:0 run that cut the deficit to 22:25 and forced a Swedish time-out. The break changed little — Novaković continued to shine, ultimately recording 12 saves at an outstanding 52% efficiency. His efforts inspired Austria to complete the comeback, levelling the score at 26:26.
By the 55th minute, Austria had their first lead since the early stages (29:28) and the pressure firmly on Sweden. Another upset seemed possible, but costly turnovers and a failed seven-against-six play without a goalkeeper proved decisive. Sweden capitalised on those errors, regained the lead in the closing minutes, and secured two crucial points.
With this victory, Sweden move to four points and are on the verge of main round qualification, though confirmation will have to wait. Austria also remain in contention ahead of their final match against Kuwait, with both teams keeping a close eye on Portugal’s results.
Player of the Match: Sergej Novaković (Austria)
Group C
Faroe Islands vs Germany 28:28 (13:15)
After a 13-goal loss against Slovenia in the opener at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, the Faroe Islands had only one chance to progress to the next phase and that was through a win against Germany, themselves coming after a 17-goal win against Uruguay.
This Faroe Islands generation was surely different than the previous ones which made the quarter-finals in the previous three editions of the younger-age categories World Championship editions – especially the last IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, where the Nordic side secured a historic bronze medal.
That meant no real centre point in the attack of the Faroe Islands, like Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu or Óli Mittún, rather than an approach fixed on teamwork and a better defence, which provided a stern test for Germany, which started the match better.
Four goals from left back Linus Schmid in the first 20 minutes of the match helped Germany open a clear 10:5 lead and it surely looked like they were going in hot, leaving nothing to chance. But then the Faroe Islands took a team time-out and things started to moved their way.
Right wing Magnus Árason fired from all cylinders, scoring some impressive highlight reel goals, including two in-flight ones and a spin-shot, to help his side back in the match. A 3:0 unanswered run from Faroe was cancelled by Germany, but by the end of the first half, the two sides were still close, with Germany leading by two goals, 15:13.
Two goals from Pauli Rasmussen and another one from Árason set the tone for Faroe, which managed to tie the score, 15:15, in the start of the second half, but multiple chances of taking the lead were missed by the Nordic side, which enabled Germany to go back with a two-goal lead, 21:19, with 18 minutes to go in the match.
The ending was dramatic, with Germany still holding the lead until the end of the match, but the Faroe Islands tying the score, 28:28, through a goal scored by Jákup Egholm with 54 seconds to go.
Nevertheless, both sides had the chance to score, but a technical mistake – steps – by Richard Hammer, saw Faroe failing to take the lead and seriously improve their chances to progress to the main round, as the match ended in a stalemate, 28:28.
It is another testament of the growth made by the Faroe Islands, yet the draw against Germany does not help them much, as they need Slovenia to win their last two matches, against Uruguay and Germany, for Faroe to make it to the next round.
Player of the Match: Magnus Árason (Faroe Islands)