Surprise teams in the W19 semi-finals

The final tournament of the 2011 Women’s 19 European Championship is being carried out from 4 to 14 August 2011 in the Netherlands. The tournament is for handball players born 1992 and younger.

The Main Round ended on Wednesday 10 August 2011, and among the four teams qualified for the semi-finals – to be played on Friday in Rotterdam – there are major surprises: Denmark will meet Austria and host nation the Netherlands play against Serbia as semi-finals.

In this age category Denmark has won the European championship twice, the Netherlands once finished fourth, while Austria and Serbia never have been Top 10 before.

Group I

For Dutch fans, Denmark against the Netherlands would be the "Dream Final" for Sunday, as many Dutch A-players are professionals in the Danish league. Also some juniors have already found their way there.

The Netherlands remained unbeaten after three Preliminary and two Main Round matches in Arnhem. Also their last game against Spain brought a narrow victory (29-26), even if the Dutch team’s motivation seemed clearly lower than in the clear victories over Austria, Ukraine, Norway and Romania, especially in defence play.

Sensation team Austria beat Romania 24:22 and secured second place in Main Round Group I.

Group II

Group winners Denmark denied Sweden access to the semi-finals, as the Swedish team was responsible for the 25-26 loss themselves as Sweden failed to score a penalty in the dying seconds of the match. Instead the Serbian team, who beat Croatia, finished ranked second in Main Round Group II.

In Arnhem, where the home team played, the stands were well-filled: on Sunday 1500 spectators came to support the juniors. Next year December the Dutch handball federation (NHV) will be organizing the Women's EHF EURO 2012.

2011 Women’s 19 European Championship Tickets

Tickets for all matches and all five venues – Amelo, Arnhem, Leek, Maastricht and Rotterdam – are available online. Click HERE to access the online ticketing system.

Live Streaming

All matches of the 2011 Women’s 19 European Championship will be broadcast as a live web stream. The matches can be viewed on the official event website.

Further information

Please download the final version of the Basic Playing Schedule for the 2011 Women’s 19 European Championship HERE.

Find playing dates and results of the tournament HERE.

Find further details on the official event website.

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