Portugal threw off their campaign at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship with a clear win against the United States of America, 30:21.

GROUP E
Portugal vs United States of America 30:21 (15:10)

While the five-goal lead at the break, 15:10, might sound slim, Portugal controlled the first 30 minutes without a shadow of a doubt, taking an early lead and never looking back. The European side had a 9:4 lead after 17 minutes, yet their attack did not produce at the needed percentage, while their defence slowed down in the last part of the first half.

Right wing Pedro Portela, who needed 10 goals to hit the 500-goal milestone for his national team, had six goals, four of them coming from penalties, to lead his side, while brothers Francisco and Martim Costa added six more goals, to keep the USA in check for most of the time.

Indeed, the American side turned the ball over too many times to really press Portugal – six turnovers in only 30 minutes – while their attacking efficiency dropped to only 43%, as they took more and more time to finish their actions, an average of 42.5 seconds per attack until the shot or the end of the attack.

Therefore, Portugal were in total control at the break, albeit not by a clear margin, with coach Paulo Pereira definitely wanting more from their first match at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, before facing Brazil and co-hosts Norway, the real tests in the group for the quarter-finals hopefuls.

With Portela sitting out in the second half and Antonio Areia entering the fray, Portugal still had Martim Costa, the hummel Player of the Match, on the court and the left back provided some excellent goals and assists, finishing the match with seven goals, leading Portugal’s charge, alongside Portela, who also scored seven times.

A 3:0 run in the start of the second half, fueled by a penalty converted by Portela and goals from Martim Costa and line player Luis Frade put every question regarding the winner to bed, as Portugal jumped to a 19:11 lead.

As USA tried their best to stop the rut, their attack did not seriously improve, hovering at the same shooting efficiency, under 50%, which meant that any attempt to turn the match on its head was futile.

Portugal had another strong run, 6:2, to open their largest lead of the match, 25:16, after 48 minutes, with the USA limiting the damage, but failing to save anything from this match, their opener at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025. 

Eventually, the European side controlled the end of the match, despite missing several fast breaks, with USA’s goalkeeper, Pal Merkovszky finished with 10 saves and a 32% saving efficiency, limiting the damage, with Portugal clinching a 30:21 win. 

Portugal will face Brazil next, with a main round spot on the cards, while the USA are due to meet co-hosts Norway, in yet another difficult test in what proves to be a very tough group for the American side at the 29th IHF Men’s World Championship.

hummel Player of the Match: Martim Costa (Portugal)