The day started with Chile’s 32–21 victory over Mexico. The South American team created a difference from the first half (15–10) and secured the victory with a 17–11 run in the second half. The top scorer was Camilo Hernández, the Chilean left back, with 6 goals in 8 shots, and the standout player was Juan Anguiano, the Mexican right wing, with 5 goals in 8 attempts. Both teams were eliminated from the fight for the podium after not reaching the top positions in Group B.
In the second match, Brazil confirmed its favoritism by defeating the United States 32–22. The South American team dominated from start to finish and concluded the group stage as undefeated leader with 6 points. The match’s top scorer was Vinicius Bertoldo, the Brazilian center back, with 5 goals in the same number of shots, and the standout was Maksim McCauley, the American pivot, with 5 goals in 7 attempts. With this result, Brazil will face Paraguay in the semifinals, while the United States, second in the group with 4 points, will play against Argentina.
Later, Argentina overcame Uruguay 29–24 in a very hard-fought match. The “albiceleste” took the lead in the first half (17–10) and resisted the Uruguayan reaction in the second half. Lucas Obregón, the Argentine left back, was the match’s top scorer with 8 goals in 11 shots, while Juan Raña, Uruguay’s center back, was the standout with 5 goals in 8 attempts. With this victory, Argentina finished undefeated in Group A and advanced to the semifinals, while Uruguay was eliminated.
The day’s closer was between Cuba and Paraguay, with a Caribbean victory of 35–33. The match was even from start to finish, with a first half favoring the “guaraníes” (18–17), but Cuba reversed the score in the second half (18–15). Osmany Miniet, the Cuban center back, shone as the top scorer with 11 goals in 17 shots, while Javier Martínez, the Paraguayan center back, stood out with 7 goals in 9 attempts. Despite the loss, Paraguay qualified for the semifinals thanks to a better goal difference over Uruguay, while Cuba finished last in its group.
Thus, the men’s handball semifinals will be played this Thursday, August 21st, at the SND Arena: Argentina vs. United States at 5:00 PM and Brazil vs. Paraguay at 8:00 PM. The teams that did not qualify, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and Uruguay, will play in the 5th to 8th position rounds, with matches that will determine the remaining places in the overall standings.
