Four teams still in race for third place in group II
After winning their matches at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022 on Tuesday, France and Montenegro locked up the top two spots in the group and remain in the mix for the coveted trophy which will be awarded after the final in Ljubljana on Sunday.
The remaining teams – Spain, Netherlands, Romania, and Germany – are still in the race for placing third and advance to the 5/6 placement match, which is bound to become a gateway to the last direct place at the 2023 IHF Women's World Championship.
A complete overview of what each team needs in their final match in order to finish in third place can be found here.
GROUP II
Romania vs Germany
Wednesday 16 November, 15:30 CET, live on EHFTV
- the two teams are on the last two places in the group, with two points each, but a win would enable them to hope for third place
- two of the top four scorers of the tournament face off in this match, with Germany’s centre back Alina Grijseels leading the way with 36 goals, while Romania’s left back Cristina Neagu is fourth with 32 goals
- Neagu needs four goals to become the first player in EHF EURO history of the EHF EURO to score 300 goals
- Romania have the second-best attack with 142 of goals scored in the tournament; Germany have scored 128 times
- Germany won six of the eight matches played between the two sides at the EHF EURO, while the two teams drew a friendly match played two weeks ago in Hungary, 29:29
Romania left back Cristina Neagu: “We are all tired, we played a lot in the last days, but we want to win and enhance our chances to finish on a better position to have a chance for the Olympic Qualification Tournaments. We will give it our all.”
Germany centre back Alina Grijseels: “This is our motivation for the match against Romania, every ranking position counts, when you think about the Olympic Qualification Tournaments. We will give 100 percent after a short time for recovery. We will try our best and then wait for the following results.”
Netherlands vs Montenegro
Wednesday 16 November, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- after starting the EHF EURO with four wins in five matches for the second time in history, Montenegro are qualified to the semi-finals and will finish the group in the second position
- right wing Jovanka Radicevic needs only one goal to become the second best scorer in the history of the competition, leapfrogging Hungary’s Agnes Farkas, as both are now at 205 goals scored
- Netherlands coach Per Johansson served as Montenegro coach between 2017 and 2020, leading the team at the EHF EURO 2018, where they finished on the ninth place
- the two sides have met only three times in history, with Montenegro taking two wins, including one at the EHF EURO 2012, when they beat the Netherlands 31:27 on their way to the title
Netherlands head coach Per Johansson: “We have the chance to qualify directly for the World Championship and can almost secure a spot at the Olympic Qualification Tournaments if we make it to the fifth place match Ljubljana, and this is extremely important, maybe more important for the future.”
Montenegro line player Tatjana Brnovic: “We want to win every match, this is what our sport is for. It will be tough, especially after this physically and emotionally intense game.”
France vs Spain
Wednesday 16 November, 20:30 CET, live on EHFTV
- the reigning Olympic champions enjoy their best start at the EHF EURO, winning five games in a row, only two games shy of their record winning streak set between December 2018 and December 2020
- Olivier Krumbholz’s side has the best defence in the competition, conceding only 99 goals in five games, an average of 19.8 goals per game, and has already won the group
- France need only five goals to hit the 2,000-goal mark, a feature achieved in history only by six other teams
- “Las Guerreras” have won only four of their last 24 matches at the EHF EURO, snatching a single win at the 2016, 2018 and 2020 editions, with only one win also clinched at the EHF EURO 2022
- Spain have won only three of the 17 mutual matches between the two teams and have not lost by more than one goal against France since 2009
France head coach Olivier Krumbholz: “We will change a lot of players, as we are qualified. We have good players here, they did not play much time by now, but now those young players will play and can prove their value. We have two, three strong players on the bench, and we need them to get better for the final weekend.”
Spain head coach Jose Ignacio Prades: “Our match against France is important for the road to Ljubljana to fight for the 5/6 position. We need to rest, as it was a hard match. I hope we recover and play better against France.”
