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On the first day of main round matches at the W19 EHF EURO 2021 in Slovenia, goalkeeper Anna Bukovszky's 17 saves inspired Hungary to a 20:16 victory against France in group II. With Hungary carrying two points forward from the preliminary round and Romania's victory against Croatia, Hungary are confirmed as the first team through to the semi-finals.
However, the picture is less clear in group I. Sweden now have four points on the standings after their 30:25 win against Germany, but their match on Wednesday against Denmark may prove decisive if Russia beat Germany and also move to four points.
In the intermediate round matches for the teams that did not qualify for the main round, Switzerland, Norway and the Czech Republic enjoyed wins over Slovakia, Austria and Montenegro, respectively.
MAIN ROUND
GROUP I
Denmark vs Russia 24:27 (12:14)
- Russia’s Daria Statsenko starred as she scored eight goals in 34 minutes, but Denmark fought back from a 13:10 deficit to lead 21:20 with 16 minutes remaining
- with a resolute defensive effort and some timely saves from goalkeeper Valeriia Vasilenko, Russia won the last quarter of the match 6:3 to secure two valuable points
- Denmark and Russia both have two points in group I. Wednesday's matches – Russia vs Germany (17:00 CEST) and Sweden vs Denmark (19:00 CEST) – will determine the final group standings
Germany vs Sweden 25:30 (14:15)
- although Tyra Axnér scored five goals for Sweden in the first half, Germany’s late rally reduced Sweden’s advantage from 15:10 to 15:14 at half-time
- in the second half Germany levelled the score on five occasions, but Charité Mumbongo’s four quickfire goals restored Sweden’s five-goal cushion (26:21)
- Tyra Axnér finished with nine goals and was named as Sweden’s best player of the match, while fellow nine-goal scorer Nina Engel received the award for Germany
GROUP II
Croatia vs Romania 20:29 (10:13)
- Croatia were level at 7:7 after 13 minutes, but Romania seized control of the match via a 6:3 partial score at the end of the first half
- Maria Valentina Ion converted six penalties from six attempts for Romania. When she scored her final penalty in the 48th minute, Romania had increased their lead to six goals (23:17)
- this was Romania's third consecutive win in the tournament and their first points of the main round
France vs Hungary 16:20 (8:11)
- in an outstanding goalkeeping performance, Hungary goalkeeper Anna Bukovszky stopped three of France’s four penalties in the first half, made 17 saves in the match and finished with a 53 per cent efficiency
- while only four players scored for France, Cassidy Chambonnier (seven goals) was the highest individual scorer in the match
- France must avoid defeat against Romania on Wednesday if they are to join Hungary in the semi-finals
INTERMEDIATE ROUND
GROUP III
Switzerland vs Slovakia 29:27 (15:13)
- Slovakia failed to score from their first seven shots of the match and trailed 4:0 after seven minutes
- Switzerland appeared on course for a comfortable win when they increased their lead to 23:16 after 41 minutes. However, Slovakia reduced the margin to two goals, 28:26, with three minutes left
- Switzerland’s Malin Altherr scored nine goals from 15 shots, while Slovakia’s Barbora Lancz scored eight times from 17 attempts
GROUP IV
Austria vs Norway 27:46 (14:21)
- Norway effectively settled the outcome of the match with a 7:1 run that put them ahead 16:10 in the 23rd minute
- Austria’s defence was unable to stop Norway from rapidly increasing their advantage in the second half
- Austria’s Katarina Pandza scored 10 times, making her the top scorer of the match, but Norway showcased their superior depth as 12 different players scored
Montenegro vs Czech Republic 21:24 (11:10)
- Montenegro generally held the upper hand in a low-scoring first half but needed a late goal from Suzana Zecevic to lead by one goal at half-time
- Charlotte Cholevová netted eight goals for the Czech Republic, including the final two goals of the match that confirmed the Czech Republic's win
- the Czech Republic’s victory means that – along with Switzerland – they will play in the 9-12 cross matches after the intermediate round
TEXT: Jamie Whittington
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