On the opening day of matches from phase 1 of the Women's EHF EURO 2022 qualifiers, Kosovo earned a 30:21 win in group A against Cyprus. As hosts of the round-robin tournament in Prishtina, there may have been some added pressure for Kosovo – but the team showed no signs of it as they cruised to victory.

Portugal recorded a resounding 38:14 victory against Luxembourg. Portugal, whose only appearance at the final tournament of a Women’s EHF EURO came in 2008, conceded just four goals in the second half of their impressive win.

WOMEN’S EHF EURO 2022 QUALIFIERS – PHASE 1

GROUP A

Kosovo vs Cyprus 30:21 (14:9)

• Kosovo centre back Arlinda Hajdari scored seven goals from seven shots, but she had to leave the court with an injury during the second half 
• after Marigona Hajdari opened the scoring in the first minute, Kosovo led throughout the match and had built a clear advantage by half-time
• Magdalini Papa (11 goals) finished as the game's top scorer but had limited support from her teammates. Only five other players scored for Cyprus in the game
• Kosovo will meet Luxembourg at 19:30 CEST on Friday, while Cyprus will face Portugal at 17:00 CEST

Portugal vs Luxembourg 38:14 (18:10)

• with left wing Carolina Monteiro scoring three early goals and Luxembourg suffering four turnovers, Portugal opened a 5:1 lead after seven minutes
• Luxembourg levelled the score at 6:6 and 7:7, but Portugal's strong finish to the first half, which included a 5:0 run, saw them hold an eight-goal lead after 30 minutes
• after the break, Portugal’s superior defence and successful fast breaks settled the outcome of the match. They enjoyed a 12:1 run at the beginning of the second half to hold an unassailable 30:11 lead with 12 minutes remaining
• Tina Welter (four goals) was the only Luxembourg player to score more than two goals, while Carolina Monteiro and Patricia Da Silva both scored five goals for Portugal