THE Philippine women’s handball team went all out and stunned three-time world champion Brazil, 14-26, 23-22, 7-6, to keep its podium hopes alive in the 2026 International Handball Federation (IHF) Handball World Champions in Croatia on Thursday.
The Filipinas, who placed 12th overall when they debuted in the biennial meet two years ago, are showing more grit in the tournament this time.
The Philippine team dropped the opening frame but bounced back in the second set with Zhalyn Mateo and Josephine One leading the charge.
In the deciding set, the Philippines fought tooth and nail with Brazil and escaped with a 7-6 victory, bolstering its bid to reach the quarterfinal round.
The win marked the first time a Philippine squad has defeated a world handball champion in a global competition.
Mateo led the Philippines with a game-high 16 points while Aurora Adriano and Josephine Ong added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Despite losing to the Philippines, Brazil remains in the top 4 contention with a 2-2 win-loss record in Group 2.
The Philippines (1-3) is scheduled to face Norway (1-4) next.
