06.08.2021, 10:00
Romania's comeback stops France in Podgorica

ROUND REVIEW: Romania's impressive comeback in the second half against France headlined the opening day of the W17 EHF EURO in Podgorica


On the opening day of the W17 EHF EURO in Montenegro, Romania fought back from a four-goal deficit in the second half against France to earn a 28:26 victory.

Meanwhile, Switzerland, Russia, Hungary and Germany all made strong impressions courtesy of their wide-margin successes.

GROUP A

Denmark vs Montenegro 18:25 (12:12)

  • Montenegro’s 3:0 lead after five minutes was the biggest advantage either side had in the first half
  • in the second half, Montenegro capitalised on a near 10-minute goal drought for Denmark to lead 21:15 after 50 minutes
  • Lana Pavicevic (six goals) was Montenegro’s top scorer in the match, while Laura Thestrup (four goals) took the honours for Denmark

Austria vs Switzerland 24:35 (11:17)

  • Switzerland rapidly seized control of the match and powered to a 9:3 lead, forcing Austria to call their second timeout in the 14th minute
  • Sev Albrecht, who was named as Switzerland’s best player, scored nine of her 10 goals in the second half as Switzerland extend their margin to 11 goals at full-time
  • Switzerland goalkeeper Claire Hartz had an impressive game, making 14 saves from 35 shots at a 40 per cent efficiency rate

GROUP B

Sweden vs Slovenia 21:18 (12:7)

  • Sweden established a 6:2 lead in the 10th minute after several saves from goalkeeper Noa Rots created fast break opportunities
  • although Sweden extended their advantage to six goals (13:7) for the first time in the 33rd minute, Nena Cernigoj’s five goals for Slovenia in the second period ensured that Sweden’s victory was only confirmed in the last five minutes
  • Emma Mihailovic’s influence in attack for Sweden was apparent in both halves as she finished the match with six goals

Russia vs Croatia 37:23 (15:10)

  • a 6:0 for Russia put them ahead 8:2 after 12 minutes – effectively ending Croatia’s hopes of causing an upset
  • after the break, Russia’s attack proved almost unstoppable for Croatia, who trailed by 10 goals (28:18) in the 45th minute
  • Russia’s Alina Reshetnikova and Croatia’s Katja Vukovic both scored six goals and received best player honours

GROUP C

Norway vs Portugal 31:25 (17:14)

  • Emma Helland-Dovle scored four goals in the first 10 minutes for Norway as they led by three goals on several occasions
  • Portgual trailed by only one goal in the 42nd minute, but Norway took a commanding 26:21 lead after a 5:0 run that featured three goals from Ine Fremo
  • while Portugal goalkeeper Rita Guimaraes made 12 saves from 32 shots faced, Norway still finished the match with a 49 per cent attack efficiency

Hungary vs Slovakia 40:13 (20:6)

  • in a one-sided match, Hungary opened the match with a staggeringly impressive 15:0 run. Slovakia’s first goal of the match came in the 20th minute through Karin Kuzmova
  • Dorottya Molnar and Anna Szabo scored 11 of Hungary’s 20 goals in the first period. Ultimately, all of Hungary’s court players scored at least once in the match
  • Luca Csikos’s six goals for Hungary in the last 20 minutes were enough for her to be named as their best player

GROUP D

France vs Romania 26:28 (14:12)

  • France held a four-goal lead (23:19) in the 48th minute but only scored three more times thereafter as Romania completed an impressive comeback
  • Romania’s Alisia Lorena Boiciuc scored 12 goals, including seven penalties, while teammate Maria Diana Lixandroiu netted seven times from open play
  • despite losing the match, France had 10 players register on the scoresheet. Lylou Borg led France in attack with seven goals

Germany vs Czech Republic 40:28 (21:12)

  • Germany’s Lotta Röpcke netted five times in the first half as her side gradually increased their lead from 8:5 in the 11th minute to 21:12 at the break
  • Veronika Gabrhelova (eight goals) tried her best to keep the Czech Republic in touch in the second half, but Germany’s lead hit double figures in the 41st minute (28:18)
  • three Germany players scored more than five goals in the match: Viola Leuchter, Nieke Kühne (both nine goals) and Lotta Röpcke (six goals)

TEXT: European Handball Federation


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