Moreno vs. Brady at the 2012 World Championships
Part Two
Second Half of Game One (Brady outscored Moreno 16-6)
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Watch Brady vs. Moreno at the 2012 World Championship final HERE
Crunching the Numbers: Moreno led Brady 13-5: Part One HERE
Starting in 2020, the WPH has crunched tens of thousands of shots, tracking the aces, kill shots, return of serve kills, first-strike kills, errors, 6+ shot rallies won, and hinders for dozens of classic matches in handball’s recent and distant past. The thousands of numbers we’ve crunched have provided handball fans and players with the blueprint to win matches.
On this edition of Crunching the Numbers, we’ll examine the second half of game one of the 2012 World Handball Championship final between Paul Brady and Luis Moreno. When handball pros are asked what is the best match they’ve ever seen, the Brady/Moreno World Championship final is invariably mentioned first. The largest crowd in 4-Wall handball history of more than 4,000+ watching Ireland’s megastar Paul Brady trying to win his fourth consecutive world title against Luis Moreno, the number one player on the Race 4 Eight tour, made for one of the most thrilling scenes in the history of the sport.
Moreno arrived in Ireland with an undeniable swag and played and carried himself as though the world championship was just a foregone conclusion. Moreno blitzed Robbie McCarthy en route to the final, showing that he was ready to dethrone the king. Brady faced a teenaged Killian Carroll early in his draw, a precursor to a rivalry four years in the making, and cruised to the final in the City West’s fish bowl.
On Part Two of Crunching the Numbers: Brady vs. Moreno at City West, we’ll crunch the second half of the first game of this sensational final, as Brady erased a 5-13 deficit, and snatched the world title from “The Natural.”
In part two, we’ll crunch the king’s comeback.
Stats (second half of game one: Brady outscored Moreno 16-6)
Brady trailed 5-13 at the first break in the action at City West and had tasted defeat at the hands of Moreno at the 2008 Simple Green U.S. Open. Could he lose to “The Natural” for the second time on the biggest stage? Brady answered that question with an emphatic no, dominating the second half with his power and conditioning en route to his fourth consecutive world title.
Aces
Moreno: 3
Brady: 6
After not striking an ace en route to a 2-13 and eventually a 5-13 deficit, Brady found his serve in the second half, striking six ace serves during his 16-6 comeback (38%). Moreno continued to served well after hitting four aces during his 13-5 first half lead, hitting three ace serves in the second half, with his aces accounting for 50% of his second half points
First Strike Kills
Moreno: 1
Brady: 2
Four of Moreno’s six second half points came from his ace serves or his first strike kills, while half of Brady’s second half points came from his serve or first strike
Return of Serve Kills
Moreno: 1
Brady: 1
Right Hand Rally-Enders
Moreno: 3
Brady: 7
Left Hand Rally Enders
Moreno: 2
Brady: 3
Brady hit less rally-enders in the second half than the first 10-14, while Moreno cooled off considerably, hitting just five rally-enders in the second half compared to 20 in the first half
6+ Shot Rallies Won
Moreno: 1
Brady: 7
After scoring his fifth point with a 14+ shot rally, Brady dominated the longer rallies in the second half, winning seven of eight (88%). Brady won eight of 18 6+ shot rallies in the first half (44%)
Errors
Moreno: 4
Brady: 2
Fly Kills:
Moreno: 1
Brady: 0
Hinders: 1
Time: 13:50
Final: 16-6
Total Points Scored: 22
Following a timeout at 13-5, Paul Brady changed the momentum quickly. Once trailing 2-13, Brady scored seven consecutive points to cut Moreno’s 11-point lead to four. Moreno bounced back, seemingly regaining control with back-to-back aces to lead 16-9, only to see Brady cut the lead to two at 14-16. Moreno earned a side out and hit an ace, followed by two more points to lead 19-14. Brady called his second timeout of the game, regrouping for what would become the turning point of the match. With Moreno serving at 19-14, Brady won the longest rally of the match, capped by a deafening roar of 4,000 of his closest friends. Brady mixed ace serves with kill shots to tie the score at 19, the first tie since the start of the game. Moreno misplayed a poor Brady serve at 19-19 for his sixth error of the game, and Brady completed the comeback with his third first-strike kill of the first game followed by the fist-pump heard around the handball universe, with the king was greeted by a standing ovation as he left the court.
Watch Brady vs. Moreno at the 2012 World Championship final HERE
David Fink
WPH Patreon Statistician