Hungary among sides to progress at W17 EHF EURO 2021

On the second match day of the preliminary round at the W17 EHF EURO 2021 in Montenegro, three teams confirmed their progression to the main round: Hungary, Norway and Romania.

While two teams from group C and one team from group D have qualified for the main round, the picture in groups A and B will only become clear after Sunday's matches.

GROUP A

Montenegro vs Austria 32:21 (15:10)

• Montenegro had three 4:0 runs in the match and finished with a shot efficiency above 60 per cent
• Montenegro’s goalkeepers both had excellent games: Andrea Skerovic made 11 saves from 21 shots and Marija Marsenic had 8 saves from 19 shots
• Lana Pavicevic (six goals) scored the same number of goals for Montenegro as she did in their win against Denmark

Switzerland vs Denmark 22:33 (9:14)

• the first half was evenly balanced until a 3:0 run for Denmark gave them an 8:5 lead. Another 3:0 run extended their advantage to five goals (11:6) in the 20th minute
• Switzerland’s Sara Zaetta scored five of her seven goals in the second half, but Denmark’s lead had already grown to 11 goals (21:10) before her scoring spree began
• Julie Scaglione (five goals) was Denmark’s top scorer – and her side's depth was utilised as 12 Denmark players scored in the match

GROUP B

Croatia vs Sweden 33:27 (17:15)     

• after suffering a heavy defeat Russia, Croatia bounced back with a six-goal win over Sweden to keep their main round hopes alive
• while the match was level at 22:22 in the 45th minute, five goals in the last 10 minutes from  Sara Marendic helped power Croatia to victory
• Sol Karlsson (eight goals) was Sweden's highest scorer in the match, while Iva Bule netted 10 times for Croatia

Slovenia vs Russia 23:35 (11:20)

• with top scorer Eva Isakova scoring four times in the first half, Russia led by nine goals at the break. Isakova scored a total of seven goals and was named as Russia's best player
• while Russia's attack dominated against Slovenia's defence, goalkeepers Veronika Karpets and Anastasia Kazmenko both made eight saves and finished with saves percentages at 40 per cent or above
• although Russia are in an extremely strong position after two victories from two matches, they have not yet qualified for the main round

GROUP C

Portugal vs Hungary 22:41 (10:20)

• Hungary's 77 per cent shot efficiency in the first half enabled them to establish a 10-goal lead for the first time in the 24th minute (16:6)
• Liliana Sernyanszki and Petra Anna Simon both scored six goals for Hungary, but Sernyanszki received the best player award
• Hungary’s match against Norway will decide which side wins group C. Points earned from the game will count towards the main round standings

Slovakia vs Norway 15:34 (6:15)

• having scored only six goals in the first half against Hungary, Slovakia found Norway’s defence equally challenging to break down
• Nicoline Ullumstro (seven goals) top scored for Norway and was named as their best player, while Laura Walterova's four goals from open play saw her receive the prize for Slovakia
• with zero points from two matches, Slovakia joined Portugal in being eliminated from main round contention

GROUP D

Czech Republic vs France 23:38 (8:19)

• France led 9:1 after nine minutes and maintained firm control throughout the match 
• three players scored five goals or more for France as their attack fired in 38 goals: Salome Pourchez (six goals), Louane Texier and Lylou Borg (both five goals)
• France’s match versus Germany at 14:00 CEST on Sunday is a direct battle for a spot in the main round

Romania vs Germany 27:24 (12:8)

• Maria Diana Lixandroiu (nine goals) and Alisia Lorena Boiciuc (seven goals) were again crucial for Romania in attack
• although Romania led by five goals (21:16) in the 46th minute, Germany reduced their advantage to two goals in the 55th minute. Three late penalties from Boiciuc ensured that Romania held on
• with wins over France and Germany, Romania have qualified for the main round as group D winners