The Argentine women's handball team lost to the Netherlands 32-25 in their first match of the 2025 World Championship. According to Noticias Argentinas, the world championship is being held in Germany and the Netherlands, running from November 26 to December 14. Despite the defeat, the small goal difference keeps "La Garra" in contention to advance from the group stage. In their next match, Argentina will face Austria, the leader of Group E, on Sunday, November 30, at 14:00 local time.
Facing a highly ranked team, Argentina showed a good performance and fought until the end, although they could not secure the victory. Argentina scored the first goal of the game with a long, coordinated play that culminated in a nice feint by the left back Malena Cavo, who set up Lucía Dalle Crode's penetration, which she converted from the corner. The match was even for the first five minutes, with three goals each, until three consecutive goals by the Dutch, who were playing at home, gave them some of an edge, taking a 16-11 lead into halftime. The second half was more evenly contested, with points being exchanged by both teams, but "La Garra" never had a chance to mount a comeback.
Among the various plays of the match, the performance of goalkeeper Valentina Menucci stood out, who made a save by coming out to the edge of her area to deflect a long pass and then block Romée Maarschalkerweerd's shot with her body. In addition to the goalkeeper's strong game, the national team was highlighted by left back Elke Karsten, who converted eight of her nine shots, and the aforementioned Cavo with four goals.
