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With just two sets of matches remaining in the preliminary round, only Netherlands and Norway have fully secured their place in the quarter-finals of the women’s handball tournament at Tokyo 2020.
With both on a perfect record and winning with ease, they will collide on Saturday with top spot in group A on the line.
GROUP A
Netherlands vs Angola 37:28 (17:15)
- Netherlands continue to bang in the goals with a third successive game with 30 goals or more
- In a relatively quiet day for both sets of goalkeepers, Netherlands’ attack took centre stage with Bo van Wetering and Lois Abbingh leading the way with seven and six goals respectively
- Angola still without a point and face two must-win matches against South Korea and Japan
Japan vs South Korea 24:27 (11:12)
- South Korea off the mark at this competition after victory in the all-Asian affair
- Japan’s goalkeeper Minami Itano came in to produce seven saves from 12 shots but her attack could not match that output as South Korea controlled the second half
- new Györ signing Eun Hee Ryu was the star again with nine goals for the winning side
Montenegro vs Norway 23:35 (13:13)
- Norway’s average winning margin up to 11 goals per game after another dominant performance
- Montenegro were level at the break but a 9:0 run for Norway midway through the second half turned the match on its head
- DELO EHF FINAL4 MVP Henny Reistad fired in a perfect seven goals from as many shots
GROUP B
Spain vs Brazil 27:23 (13:13)
- an impressive final quarter made the difference as Spain scored a second consecutive victory
- Silvia Navarro shut up shop between the Spanish posts with 18 saves at 46%
- Bruna de Paula was prolific yet again for Brazil with eight goals but their opponents delivered a more rounded performance
Hungary vs ROC 31:38 (17:22)
- the Russian Olympic Committee finally got their first win with a relentlessly attacking match against Hungary
- Daria Dmitrieva enjoyed her best day of the tournament so far, firing in seven goals as Russia pulled away in the second half
- nine goals from Katrin Klujber not enough for the young Hungarian side, who are now on the verge of elimination after three successive defeats
Sweden vs France 28:28 (16:17)
- Jessica Ryde saved the day for Sweden, denying Grace Zaadi’s penalty in the final play of the match
- France held a five-goal lead in the first half, before the impressive Swedes finally came to life
- Carin Strömberg led the way for Sweden with seven goals in a back and forth second half, after which neither side deserved to lose
Detailed results and schedules are available on the official Olympics homepage.
All Tokyo 2020 photos courtesy of IHF.
TEXT: European Handball Federation
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