10.08.2021, 01:45
Eight teams remain unbeaten at W17 Championships

INTERMEDIATE REVIEW: Eight teams have not yet lost a game at the Women's 17 EHF Championships played in Lithuania and Georgia

At the halfway juncture of the Women's 17 EHF Championships preliminary round in Lithuania and Georgia, a total of eight teams remain undefeated and appear on course to qualify for the semi-finals. 

At the Women's 17 EHF Championship in Lithuania, four teams have perfect records after two matches played: Spain, North Macedonia, Iceland and Poland.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, the Netherlands and Ukraine are top of group A. While Serbia and the Faroe Islands remain unbeaten in group B, they both have three points on the standings after they drew against each other last Friday. 

Women's 17 EHF Championship in Lithuania

GROUP A

• Spain are top of group A in Lithuania with the maximum four points from two matches after comfortable victories against Kosovo (39:9) and Finland (27:17)
• North Macedonia also have a 100 per cent record after two matches. They will face Spain on Wednesday in a match that is likely to determine the group winners
• with two wins from three matches, Finland remain in contention for the semi-finals. Finland overturned a half-time deficit to beat Lithuania 30:27 and also won 44:10 versus Kosovo  

GROUP B

• while Poland had to work extremely hard to beat Turkey 21:20 in their group opener, they claimed a more authoritative win against Belarus (28:23) in their second match  
• Iceland's goal difference is +21 after impressive wins over Latvia (35:23) and Turkey (28:19). Iceland will face Poland on Thursday in Klaipeda 
• Turkey and Belarus both picked up their only win to date against Latvia. Belarus will have a pivotal match against Iceland on Wednesday

Iceland make impressive start

Iceland have made an impressive start to the championship in Lithuania, winning both of their matches by big margins. Lilja Agustsdottir scored nine goals on Saturday against Latvia and followed up with five more goals on Sunday against Turkey as her side created match-winning leads by half-time in both matches. 

Women's 17 EHF Championship in Georgia

GROUP A

• after Greece's withdrawal from the championship, the Netherlands won their only match played on court against Luxembourg, 51:9  
• Ukraine, who defeated Georgia 38:18 on Monday, have four points on the table. Ukraine (four points) will face Luxembourg on Tuesday and the Netherlands (four points) on Thursday
• Luxembourg (also four points) are in third place but earned a narrow victory over Georgia, 24:20, in the group's first match

GROUP B

• Serbia and the Faroe Islands shared the points after a 26:26 draw last Friday. Serbia led 14:12 at half-time but had to rescue themselves from a two-goal deficit in the second half
• Serbia and the Faroe Islands both won their second matches played in group B. The Faroe Islands beat Italy 27:25, while Serbia recorded an emphatic victory against Estonia (36:13)
• in the other match played in group B, Italy handed Estonia a heavy loss, 34:15. Thursday's fixture between Italy and Serbia is likely to decide a semi-final place 

Dutch attack roars in opening game

As the Netherlands proceeded to score more than 50 goals against Luxembourg, 15 different players found the back of the net. Three Dutch players scored seven times or more in the group A match – Veerle Steijns (eight goals), Lois Van Vliet and Romee Maarschalkerweerd (both seven goals) – and such scoring depth may prove valuable as the competition progresses.

TEXT: European Handball Federation