Norway – Hungary 2-1

Ine Erlandsen Grimsrud(Norway –Player)

"It was a very good match. Hungary is a very good team and we are very excited we beat them. For the past seven days we have been training together with Hungary, so it was a special match, a great win and a very nice way to start the tournament".

Germany – Brazil 2-0

Alexander Daniel Novakovic(Germany – Coach)

"We are a team of youngsters, so we are very happy to start the tournament like this. Brazil is a really good team, we have been playing against them since 2006.We watched a few games of their games, so we knew some things in advance.

“Next comes Hungary an opponent we know well from the European Championship. We will be ready for this game with a little help from the video analysis and we will try our best."

Argentina – Uruguay 2-0

Patricia Rodriguez Martinez (Uruguay - Player)

“It was a difficult game. We made a few mistakes that we hope won’t happen again. Argentina is always a tough team to beat”.

Gisella Julieta Bonomi (Argentina – Player)

“We really enjoyed our first game at the tournament and. We will be better in our next games, we will try harder”.

Portugal – Thailand 2-1

Sofia Goncalves - (Portugal - Player)

"We won the first match and now we want to win as many matches as possible.

“We surely want to reach the final in this amazing venue. We want to be the Champions of the world. That's it!".

Van Wannaphan - (Thailand - Player)

“We want to qualify to the next stage. We have a good team and we have been preparing for this event since a long time ago".

Greece – Mexico 2-1

EsmeraldaVargasCortes (Mexico – Player)

"We are very happy to be herein Greece and play in these amazing facilities.

“It was an exciting game and we are happy we were part of it!".

Ntafina Dimitri (Greece – Player)

"The opening game is always stressful, especially for us. The good thing is we won and we move on.

“We are happy we play for our country and we expect fans will come and support us. The facilities are amazing."

Valentino Valentakovic (Croatia – Player)

"We know we have a good team. We clearly aim to win the gold medal. We want to achieve what we missed in the previous World Championship in Kazan, where we lost to Brazil in the final. We started well and I hope we will continue in the same way

“I really enjoy playing beach handball in such impressive facilities. I like the tournament and the organisers have done a tremendous job.

“The heat is intense in Crete, but we are used to playing under similar temperatures.

“Heraklion is a tourist city. It's a beautiful place, as is Zagreb, where I come from."

PeterPortengen (Netherlands - Coach)

"We aim for the first place in our group (C) and also have in mind of who we might meet in the next round. Our first goal is to reach the quarter-finals.

“The courts are awesome and the quality of the sand very good. I like the event. For the fans it is like attending a big party.

“Although we are here for a week or so, all we do is training, so I didn’t have the chance to see the city of Heraklion.

“It’shot and humid here in Crete. In the Netherlands the summer is milder, especially from the afternoon onwards".

Elisabeth Hammerstad (Norway – Player)

"This is the World Championships,the level of competition is the highest you can get. In most matches details decide the winner.

“The heat in Crete is really unbearable and it’s burning hot. Nothing to do with the weather conditions in Norway. Imagine that we have a difference of almost 25 degrees Celsius. We are drinking very cold water all the time and try to adapt to Crete’s climate.

“Nevertheless, Crete is a wonderful place. I am coming for the first time and of course I will visit it again. I love Greece, tzatziki and feta!

“The courts we play and the facilities are very good. You can train and play in perfect conditions”.