Denmark book EHF EURO 2024 ticket; Azerbaijan win; Faroes make history

In the EHF EURO Cup, Norway maintain their winning streak as they strolled past Austria, while Hungary recorded their second consecutive win in the competition.

• Danish goalkeeper Althea Reinhardt recorded 13 saves in Denmark's win in Lublin to help her teammates reach the Women's EHF EURO 2024
• Markéta Jeřábková was the undisputed top scorer in the Highlight Match between Czechia and the Netherlands; the left back scored nine goals for the Czechs, four more than any other player in the game
• Romanian line player Lorena Ostase displayed an excellent performance in Romania's win against Croatia by scoring nine goals without missing a single attempt
• the young left back Kamila Bayramova scored an incredible 14 goals while experienced goalkeeper Lyubov Rasulova recorded 11 saves (40.7 per cent) in Azerbaijan's win against Lithuania in Baku
• explosive centre back Jana Mittún scored eight goals and was the match's top scorer in the Faroe Islands' huge win in Luxembourg
• talented centre back Csenge Kuczora scored 10 goals in Hungary's dominant win against Switzerland in the EHF EURO Cup and the 24-year-old was the match's top scorer

GROUP 1

Romania vs Croatia 26:24 (13:11)

In the clash between the group leaders, Romania used the support from the stands to take control of the first half. By the time the visitors scored their first goal after four minutes the hosts were already three goals up. The star in the opening 30 minutes was the Romanian goalkeeper, Daciana Hosu, who made eight saves and helped Romania to a two-goal lead (13:11) at the break. The hosts looked even more determined in the second half as they established a five-goal lead (19:14) in the 39th minute, which slowly but surely guided the match in Romania's favour. In the end, the Romanians celebrated an important win to move closer to booking a place at the EHF EURO 2024, maintained their perfect record and put top spot in group 1 in their hands for now.

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Greece 22:24 (8:12)

With Croatia losing to Romania in the earlier match in group 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece had the chance to get close to second with a win and two points. The visitors established a three-goal lead (3:6) by the 13th minute. However, the Bosnians were also on the same mission and they mounted a comeback in the 21st minute to take over the lead (8:7). However, they were then unable to score until the break, resulting in a four-goal led for the Greeks at half-time. The visitors maintained their lead throughout the second half despite Bosnia and Herzegovina's desire to control the match to record their first win in the qualifiers. The experienced centre back Maria Chatziparasidou scored eight goals and was the match's top scorer, as Greece left Bosnia and Herzegovina bottom of the group with zero points.

GROUP 2

Slovakia vs Israel 31:22 (16:9)

With Israel yet to play a match in group 2 and Slovakia losing the opening match to Ukraine, the motivated hosts were on a mission to get back in the race for the top two spots and they succeeded. The pacey and strong Slovakians restricted the visitors to only three goals scored until the 16th minute when they were already up by seven goals (10:3), which set the tone ahead of half-time (16:9). After the break, the hosts continued in the same fashion and did not let the Israelis even think of mounting a comeback as they strolled to their first victory in group 2. The young and talented right back Barbora Lancz was the match's top scorer with nine goals to her name, while Aleksandra Ivanytsia displayed a quality performance between the posts for the hosts by making 14 saves.

GROUP 3

Highlight Match: Czechia vs Netherlands 29:30 (16:18)

The Highlight Match delivered as Czechia and the Netherlands played an extremely interesting game in the clash of the group 3 leaders. The winner was destined to occupy the top spot at the end and the visitors started on the front foot, taking a big six-goal lead (9:3) in the 10th minute. The Dutch held onto the lead until later in the half, but the hosts cut the advantage to only two goals just before half-time. In the second half, the inspired Czechs flew on the wings of the support from the stands and they mounted a comeback to overturn the result (25:24) in the 46th minute through Markéta Jeřábková. However, the Netherlands were not willing to give up the lead easily. They finished strongly by scoring six goals in the final 13 minutes to secure the win and end Czechia's perfect record. Dutch goalkeeper Yara Ten Holte made 18 saves and had a sky-high save efficiency (39.1 per cent), playing a clutch role in the Netherlands' win.

GROUP 5

Azerbaijan vs Lithuania 35:33 (18:18)

The hosts started the match on the front foot and they took a two-goal lead (4:2) early in the fourth minute. However, Lithuania were not willing to let Azerbaijan gain a bigger lead and consolidated their defence to mount a comeback, which resulted in a three-goal lead on a few occasions. But the high-scoring first half ended in a draw thanks to the extraordinary performance by the Azerbaijani left back Kamila Bayramova, who scored seven goals. The battle for the two points continued after the break and in a half full of turnarounds, Azerbaijan's burning desire to secure a win prevailed. It was not until the final minute that the winner was decided, but the hosts recorded their first win in the EHF EURO Qualifiers since 2015 and the wild as well as teary celebrations among the players showed how much it meant to them. Lithuania remain the only team without points in group 5, while Azerbaijan have heaped pressure on North Macedonia and Spain ahead of their meeting.

GROUP 6

Bulgaria vs Türkiye 24:30 (12:13)

After finishing the opening two rounds without points, Bulgaria began the match with a point to prove in front of their own fans and had an unexpected 5:1 lead (5:1) by the seventh minute. However, it did not take long for the visitors to get back into the match as Asli Iskit-Caliskan and Beyza Irem Sengül started to find the back of the net with ease by scoring five and four goals respectively, and Türkiye completely overturned the course of the half with a 10:7 lead in the 19th minute. Bulgaria looked set to go into the break with a bigger deficit, but they successfully narrowed the lead with only one goal separating the sides at half-time. In the second half, Türkiye denied every attempt by Bulgaria to mount a comeback as Iskit-Caliskan and Sengül combined for 17 goals in total. Türkiye now have the same number of points as Serbia and only one less than Montenegro ahead of Thursday’s Balkan derby, while Bulgaria remain bottom with zero points.

GROUP 7

Luxembourg vs Faroe Islands 16:34 (9:16)

With both teams without a single point after the opening two rounds of the qualifiers, a lot was at stake in Luxembourg, but the ambitious visitors set the bar high early in the first half as they found the back of the net with ease. Additionally, the Faroe Islands' defence restricted the hosts to only three goals scored until the 15th minute while they scored nine by that point. It was a pretty one-sided first half with the Faroese taking a seven-goal lead at the break. In the second half, the visitors continued to attack the hosts' net and looked determined to secure their first points in group 7. In the end, the Faroese succeeded and celebrated a massive win against Luxembourg. Pernille Brandenborg had a night to remember by scoring seven goals from as many attempts, while Annika Fridheim Petersen made 11 saves for the visitors.

Iceland vs Sweden 24:37 (12:17)

With both teams maintaining a perfect record after the opening two rounds, the match in Hafnarfjordur was set to decide who would occupy the top spot after round 3. The motivated Icelanders surprised the fifth-ranked side from the EHF EURO 2022 and took a 6:4 lead in the opening 10 minutes. However, by the 20th minute it was a wholly different picture with Sweden holding a four-goal lead (13:9). The Swedes did not stop there as they extended their lead before half-time to five goals which turned the match's direction in their favour. In the second half, Sweden were already in full control and they dictated the tempo to add to their already big lead. Sweden end round 3 in top spot in group 7 with their attacking prowess showing; every field player got on the scoresheet and left back Jamina Roberts was the game’s top scorer with seven goals.

GROUP 8

Poland vs Denmark 22:26 (9:11)

The hosts could not have found a stronger opponent to get their qualifying campaign underway as the EHF EURO 2022 silver medallists were aiming to become the first nation to book a place at the EHF EURO 2024. However, the Poles stood firm on home soil and led until the 17th minute, when Denmark scored three goals in a span of three minutes to completely overturn the course of the half in their favour. Once they successfully mounted a comeback, Kristina Jörgensen & Co. defended their lead and took a two-goal lead at the break. In the second half, the Danes resisted every attempt by the hosts to narrow the gap and in the final 10 minutes of the match, they extended their lead. In the end, Denmark celebrated becoming the first team to secure a ticket for the EHF EURO 2024 and prolonged their perfect record of featuring at every European Championship.

EHF EURO CUP

Hungary vs Switzerland 38:26 (16:14)

The co-hosts of the upcoming Women's EHF EURO 2024 met in the third round of the EHF EURO Cup as Hungary welcomed Switzerland in Tatabanya. Both teams had two points prior to the game. But the hosts opened the match in a much better fashion than the visitors as they established an early 9:4 lead in the 13th minute and never looked back, although Switzerland narrowed the lead (16:14) just before half-time. However, Hungary increased the tempo in the second half and Switzerland only scored six goals in the following 20 minutes in comparison to the hosts' 14, which signalled the final outcome. Hungary's coach Vlagyimir Golovin can be proud of the performance shown by his squad and especially by their attack, as only two players failed to get on the scoresheet on the way to securing the two points.

Norway vs Austria 43:22 (19:10)

The reigning European champions welcomed the co-hosts of the upcoming Women's EHF EURO 2024, Austria, in Halden as they looked to strengthen their position at the top of the EURO Cup standings. The impressive hosts opened the match by taking an early four-goal lead (8:4) in the 12th minute, led by line player Vilde Mortensen Ingstad who scored five goals in the first half. The Norwegians did not hold back in extending their lead in the second half and it took Austria six minutes to score their first goal after the break. Norway's world-class quality proved too much for the visitors as they ended the match with 43 goals and extended their perfect record in the EHF EURO Cup. Every Norwegian field player got on the scoresheet; left back Ines Ivancok scored seven goals for Austria who remain without a single point in the EHF EURO Cup.

Main photo © Paweł Bejnarowicz