Brazil's under-18 women's team secured a commanding 41:23 victory over Algeria at the World Championship for girls U18 on Sunday morning. The result came on 3 August at the scheduled 08:45 start, and it shifts the table in Brazil's favour. To be fair, the numbers tell only part of the story.
Before the match Brazil sat third with three games played, one win, two draws and zero losses — two points on the board. Algeria were fourth, also three games in, but with three draws and no wins to show for it. The gap between them widens now.
Brazil's recent run has been mixed, by then. They beat Angola 37:21 on 1 August after dropping points against Japan and Slovakia in the days before. The win over Algeria adds to their momentum, and they have one foot in moving up the standings.
Algeria's form has been stubbornly even — three draws, no defeats, no wins. Their last outing was a 18:31 loss to Slovenia, and before that came results against Switzerland and Serbia. This match gives them something to reflect on, though the scoreline does not improve their position.
The result leaves Brazil at the top of their section in terms of points, while Algeria remain without a victory. Cup football has its own rules, and this is where the early standings start to take shape.