On the second match day of the preliminary round at the W17 EHF EURO 2021 in Montenegro, three teams confirmed their progression to the main round: Hungary, Norway and Romania.

While two teams from group C and one team from group D have qualified for the main round, the picture in groups A and B will only become clear after Sunday's matches.

GROUP A

Montenegro vs Austria 32:21 (15:10)

• Montenegro had three 4:0 runs in the match and finished with a shot efficiency above 60 per cent
• Montenegro’s goalkeepers both had excellent games: Andrea Skerovic made 11 saves from 21 shots and Marija Marsenic had 8 saves from 19 shots
• Lana Pavicevic (six goals) scored the same number of goals for Montenegro as she did in their win against Denmark

Switzerland vs Denmark 22:33 (9:14)

• the first half was evenly balanced until a 3:0 run for Denmark gave them an 8:5 lead. Another 3:0 run extended their advantage to five goals (11:6) in the 20th minute
• Switzerland’s Sara Zaetta scored five of her seven goals in the second half, but Denmark’s lead had already grown to 11 goals (21:10) before her scoring spree began
• Julie Scaglione (five goals) was Denmark’s top scorer – and her side's depth was utilised as 12 Denmark players scored in the match

GROUP B

Croatia vs Sweden 33:27 (17:15)     

• after suffering a heavy defeat Russia, Croatia bounced back with a six-goal win over Sweden to keep their main round hopes alive
• while the match was level at 22:22 in the 45th minute, five goals in the last 10 minutes from  Sara Marendic helped power Croatia to victory
• Sol Karlsson (eight goals) was Sweden's highest scorer in the match, while Iva Bule netted 10 times for Croatia

Slovenia vs Russia 23:35 (11:20)

• with top scorer Eva Isakova scoring four times in the first half, Russia led by nine goals at the break. Isakova scored a total of seven goals and was named as Russia's best player
• while Russia's attack dominated against Slovenia's defence, goalkeepers Veronika Karpets and Anastasia Kazmenko both made eight saves and finished with saves percentages at 40 per cent or above
• although Russia are in an extremely strong position after two victories from two matches, they have not yet qualified for the main round

GROUP C

Portugal vs Hungary 22:41 (10:20)

• Hungary's 77 per cent shot efficiency in the first half enabled them to establish a 10-goal lead for the first time in the 24th minute (16:6)
• Liliana Sernyanszki and Petra Anna Simon both scored six goals for Hungary, but Sernyanszki received the best player award
• Hungary’s match against Norway will decide which side wins group C. Points earned from the game will count towards the main round standings

Slovakia vs Norway 15:34 (6:15)

• having scored only six goals in the first half against Hungary, Slovakia found Norway’s defence equally challenging to break down
• Nicoline Ullumstro (seven goals) top scored for Norway and was named as their best player, while Laura Walterova's four goals from open play saw her receive the prize for Slovakia
• with zero points from two matches, Slovakia joined Portugal in being eliminated from main round contention

GROUP D

Czech Republic vs France 23:38 (8:19)

• France led 9:1 after nine minutes and maintained firm control throughout the match 
• three players scored five goals or more for France as their attack fired in 38 goals: Salome Pourchez (six goals), Louane Texier and Lylou Borg (both five goals)
• France’s match versus Germany at 14:00 CEST on Sunday is a direct battle for a spot in the main round

Romania vs Germany 27:24 (12:8)

• Maria Diana Lixandroiu (nine goals) and Alisia Lorena Boiciuc (seven goals) were again crucial for Romania in attack
• although Romania led by five goals (21:16) in the 46th minute, Germany reduced their advantage to two goals in the 55th minute. Three late penalties from Boiciuc ensured that Romania held on
• with wins over France and Germany, Romania have qualified for the main round as group D winners