The Chilean National Team lost to Montenegro on the last date of the 2023 Handball World Cup, being left out of the fight for the title.
The Chilean national team lost 35-33 to Montenegro this Monday, saying goodbye to Handball World Cup 2023 that is disputed in Poland and Sweden.
The national team, led by Atitor Etxaburuwas obliged to beat the Balkans to aspire to the second phase of the tournament, but the fall left La Roja of handball empty-handed.
It is worth mentioning that Chile fell in the debut against Iran (24-25) and, for the second date of Group A, he lost to the powerful Spain (34-26).
Unfortunately, against Montenegro the tone was similar. The nationals started accurate and took the lead, but it was enough for the Europeans to refine the attack to counteract the result.
The advantage became three goals for the Balkans, taking advantage of the great game of his figure Grbovicbut Erwin Fleuchtmann the team threw itself on top to shorten advantages.
As if that were not enough, the expulsion of the Montenegrin striker seemed to lead to Chilean control. However, every counterattack by the Europeans was a torment for those from Etxaburu. 20-18 went to halftime.
The two-goal advantage was maintained for many moments, but after 39 minutes it doubled and ended up being a tremendous emotional blow for the Chileans.
Despite the goals from Erwin Fleuchtmann and the great match of Stephen Salinasthe difference in favor of Montenegro did not fall below two goals and ended at 35-33 in favor of the Balkans.
Chile says goodbye to the Handball World Cup with three losses, in a poor harvest that was far from meeting the expectations of the team that, at least, aspired to get into the second round.
Now, the national team will play the Presidents Cup to define the places 25º to 32º of the planetary contest.
Final whistle on the first games in round 3 ???? The results so far today at #POLSWE2023 ???? pic.twitter.com/uQ2Ao1FLjd
— International Handball Federation (@ihf_info) January 16, 2023