Las guerreras, the Spanish women's handball team, have given themselves permission to dream big in the 2023 World Cup in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Spanish players advance to the main phase of the championship with a full 4 points thanks to a heroic victory over Brazil (25-27) in a heart-stopping finale. Goalkeeper Darly Zoqbi was decisive with 11 saves, two of them in a row in the last minute, which prevented the Brazilian tie.
The warriors led by Ambros Martín showed their character in a final stretch of the third game of the group stage against Brazil that became unnecessarily complicated in a very irregular second half.
If in the first half Spain took the lead, starting at 8-9, the first advantage (which took 16 minutes to arrive), and managed to score 4 goals at half-time (12-16), thanks to the effectiveness of the Catalan Kaba Gassama in the pivot, at the start of the second half he ran aground.
The warriors reached the maximum advantage in the resumption (Gassama's 5 of 12-17), but in six minutes they received a 4-0 partial, which rose to 6-2, with which Brazil equalized the duel (18-18 , at 41m58s) and returned the 2-6 of the first half.
It was Spain's turn to row against the current to break the dynamic, which became much more complicated with the 21-19 score that Ana Paula Rodrigues, the Brazilian bete noire, scored, culminating a 9-3 partial that set off all the alarms.
Ambros Martín reacted by stopping the clock and putting order in his ranks. Then the figure of goalkeeper Darly Zoqbi began to emerge, making up to 11 saves and catapulting her team's reaction.
The last 10 minutes were electric. The final stretch was entered with 24-22 and bad feelings, which Alicia Fernández and Sole López began to change with the tie at 24. Ana Paula Rodrigues, with her 8th goal, made it 25-24 with 3 minutes remaining and then Spain's furious reaction was unleashed. Paula Arcos, the brave central defender, carried the team on her back with two goals in a row that put Spain ahead (25-26), Zaqbi stopped two shots in the last minute, and Paulina Pérez finished off with the score 25-27.
The Spanish goalscorers were Paula Arcos (5), Lysa Tchaptchet (4), Sole Lopez (4), Kaba Gassama (3), Mireya Gonzalez (3), Silvia Arderius (3, 1p), and Alicia Fernandez (3, 1p). Pauline Perez (2).
Spain goes to the second phase of the World Cup (three games) as leader of group G, with a full 4 points, which will be of great help to qualify for the quarterfinals. In the main phase they will face the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and the third place in group H, which will start this Monday's clash between Argentina and Congo, the first rival on day 6.
