GROUP 1:
Greece vs Kosovo 26:25 (14:9)
- After a close 21:20 away win against Kosovo on Wednesday, Greece enjoyed another thriller but stay on top of the group by eight points
- Kosovo are out of the race for the next stage, remaining on one point prior to their last two matches against Turkey and Belgium
- From the 22nd minute and the score at 8:8, Greece pulled ahead by a 6:1 run until the break, followed by another 5:1 series for the first double-figure advance at 19:9 in the 37th minute
- Like the first leg the hosts lost their pace and Kosovo showed incredible moral – and closed to 23:24
- Greece managed to remain ahead, and secured the match in the final minute, when Nikolaos Kritikos netted to make the score 26:24
- Top scorers were Charalampalos Mallios by five goals for the hosts and Valon Dedaj by six strikes for Kosovo
GROUP 3:
Moldova vs Romania 23:33 (15:18)
- After beating Israel 33:30 in the opener on Friday, hosts Romania kept their unbeaten record in the first official duel against their neighbours
- After their dominant 32:41 defeat on Saturday against Israel, Moldova played impressively strong for the majority of the first half – and were level on 14:14
- The hosts took control in the last four minutes before the break, but could not cast off their opponents until the 24:20
- In the last 20 minutes, Moldova lacked power and experience – reflected in the double-figured defeat
- Leading scorers were Gabriel Cumpanici by five goals for the hosts and Roman Dodica, who netted eight goals for Moldova.
Greece and Romania join Finland, Estonia, and Israel in the World Championship playoffs.
