Day three of Korfball’s World Youth Championship saw history made in the last match as hosts Chinese Taipei gained a 13-12 victory over four times silver medallists Belgium in a packed Kaohsiung Normal University sports hall. They gained their victory by achieving a higher scoring ratio than Belgium, who had more shots but missed them due to the defensive pressure from their opponents.
Provided they win their last two pool matches against Hong Kong China and England, the hosts will avoid the holders - The Netherlands - in the semi-final and have a realistic chance of being the first nation from outside the Benelux region to win a gold or silver medal in a Korfball World Youth Championship. Apart from finals, this match was the first match that Belgium has lost in the history of World Youth Championships, having been successful on 17 previous occasions. The two teams have, in fact, played each other in all of the previous championships with Belgium successful on each occasion by between 9 and 13 goals.
The likely opponents for the Chinese Taipei side in the semi-finals will be known after the two crucial games in Pool B – Germany vs Russia (tomorrow Tuesday 4 November) and Germany vs Czech Republic on Wednesday. If Russia wins on Tuesday, and they beat South Africa on Wednesday, then Russia will reach Thursday’s semi-final. However, if Germany wins, then they will need to beat the Czech Republic on Wednesday to reach the semi-final for the second championship in a row.
