SUMMARY: France cheering after big win over Montenegro; Netherlands, Spain draw
Day 10 of the Women's EHF EURO 2022 includes the second round of matches in main round group II in Skopje. France clearly beat Montenegro 27:19 in the clash between the two group leaders, and Netherlands and Spain share the points: 29:29.
22:23
Overview of today's results in group II:
22:19
France are firmly on course to the semi-finals. Not quite there yet, but seems a formality from here. Who is going to stop them in group II? Here is the match review, written by EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu, after their big win over Montenegro:
It was a tough match, physically. It was hard to focus on the game with their fans. We heard them, but it was good pressure. We felt like in a bubble and no one could get in. We got the two points and are satisfied with our performance.
22:01 RESULT | FRANCE VS MONTENEGRO 27:19 (12:9)
France just keep on going at the EHF EURO! They extend their winning streak in style, outscoring Montenegro by nine goals. Pauletta Foppa for France and Jovanka Radicevic for Montenegro the best shooters, with six goals each. And France goalkeeper Cléopatre Darleux the Player of the Match, with 12 saves on 19 shots for 41% rate.
21:53
A fast fast break this from France:
21:45
It is France 22, Montenegro 17 with just over 10 minutes left. Hard to see the Olympic champions are going to give this lead away, but fact is: Montenegro are on a 6:1 series...
21:42
Team timeout France. They will have done enough to win the match, but a 3:0 run from Montenegro prompts Olivier Krumbholz to having a talk to his players.
21:37
And the margin reads double-digit figures: 21:11 to France. So many were expecting a close battle that could go down to the wire, it has become a fairly one-sided affair. Pauletta Foppa with five the leading scorer.
21:34
Montenegro are leading the fastest-shot ranking for this match, thanks to Djurdjina Jaukovic. Of course, they would rather lead the ranking for goals scored...
21:26
It has taken Montenegro five minutes and 47 seconds to finally score in the second half; Djurdjina Malovic finds the net. That is not the way that is going to help them close the current six-goal gap: 16:10
21:23
France quickly widening the gap to five goals (14:9) in the first three minutes of the second half. Are we already approaching the decision in this game?
I am little bit sad. We started very good, the defence was very good. But in the second half we were a bit tired. I am also happy because we came from a bad game (against Romania) and took another step.
18:39
Nicole Wiggens with a couple of crucial saves to protect Spain's lead:
18:35 HALF-TIME | NETHERLANDS VS SPAIN 15:17
Spain ahead, but Netherlands will be relieved that they are just two behind – from the six-goal deficit they faced earlier. Let's hear from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu at the match in Skopje:
"Spain’s record for the number of goals scored in the first half at the EHF EURO was 17, set four times in their history in the competition. 'Las Guerreras' tied it on Sunday evening against Netherlands, with what looked to be a stunning attacking game, until the last five minutes of the half.
Netherlands surely missed left back Kelly Dulfer, especially in defence, as she was suspended for one game after a red card in the previous match. But it was Estavana Polman who assumed the mantle of leader, scoring four times and leading her team in attack.
The last five minutes were key, as the Netherlands just mounted a good comeback, after being down six goals at one point in the first half. If they continue like this, they might just snatch something from the match, a crucial one in this very well-balanced group."
18:24
Spain scoring from everywhere on the court. Their most beautiful strike so far:
18:17
Team timeout Netherlands. Per Johansson's side all over the place as Spain soar ahead to a 13:7 lead after 16 minutes. What a start for the Spanish side, taking every opportunity they get.
18:09
Spain off to the better start – and a 6:4 lead over Netherlands.
17:56
Spain will be looking for more like this tonight:
17:47
The history of the 18 matches they played against each other is completely in the balance: both Netherlands and Spain won nine of these encounters.
However, Netherlands have won the last three meetings since 2016, though the last two were just by a single goal – including the most important match they ever played against each other: the final of the 2019 IHF World Championship in Japan, which Netherlands won 30:29 on a last-second penalty by Lois Abbingh.
17:38
Our first game tonight is equally important for both Netherlands and Spain. They lost their main round openers last Friday, so they both remained on two points – just as many as the two teams they lost to: Germany and Romania. That leaves a lot open for the remainder of group II.
17:30
Half an hour until Netherlands and Spain get today's action underway in Skopje.
If you are not already doing so, make sure you tune in to our EHF EURO Show on Twitch. Again, you can stay on the live blog and watch the show which remains on top, watch directly on Twitch by clicking on this visual:
Players are also only human. They can have bad days in these two weeks — nobody can be at their best the whole time in these two weeks. We see oscillations, but with some people, especially the true elite, it’s less visible, or it’s better covered within the team. It’s very complex, what influences a game.
15:41
Here is the latest episode of our women in sport series, a cooperation between EHF and kolektiff:
Edit Szalay is a well-known face and voice of the European handball world. The Women's EHF EURO 2022 ❤️ is her fourth one, where she is hosting a series of shows on the Home of Handball Twitch channel. She is one of the women who are making this EHF EURO great with her skills, dedication and amazing energy!
14:22
One of the feel-good stories of the EHF EURO so far has been Montenegro. Their captivating run through the preliminary round, frenetically supported by their fans in Podgorica, with three straight wins and the emotional farewell of Jovanka Radicevic from the home fans are moments that have left their mark on the championship.
EHF journalist Björn Pazen spoke with Montenegro left back Djurdjina Malovic, who is playing for Toulon, for this feature about the team's high-profile game against France tonight:
12:57
Speaking about the Germany vs Netherlands game, the Dutch side need to bounce back playing Spain tonight. The defeat against Germany did hurt Oranje, admits right wing Angela Malestein:
12:35
One of the teams with the biggest improvement from preliminary round to main round has been Germany. Arriving in Skopje with zero points, they outplayed Netherlands (36:28). EHF journalist Björn Pazen caught up with centre back Alina Grijseels, one of team's captains who has been instrumental for Germany so far, for this interview:
11:30
Half past 11, time again for our Stat of the Day powered by data analyst and journalist Julian Rux – looking foward to the Netherlands vs Spain game tonight:
11:13
The late match tonight will see France take on Montenegro, a duel between the two teams from group II that have advanced from the preliminary round with three wins.
We saw a duel between two unbeaten teams in group I on Saturday – and that was arguably the best match of the championship so far: Norway were to work had by Sweden but ultimately came out on top in this thrilling contest.
Let's hope France and Montenegro provide us with just as much excitement tonight.
Here are the highlights of Norway vs Sweden for you:
11:00
Good morning and welcome to the live blog on day 10 of the Women's EHF EURO 2022.
Skopje will be taking centre stage again as the second round of matches in main round II is on the schedule for tonight:
