Germany join the party while Norway win the EHF EURO Cup again

• Irina Yablonska Bobal played a pivotal role in Slovakia's crucial win against Israel and the goalkeeper made 12 saves and recorded sky-high 46.15 percentage of save efficiency
• Petra Kudláčková and Sabrina Novotná made 14 saves each or 28 overall in Czechia's huge win against Finland as the goalkeeping duo displayed a phenomenal performance
• Monika Kobylinska scored nine goals in Poland's win in Prishtina and crushed Kosovo despite Leonora Demaj's fantastic performance for the hosts who scored 12 and was the match's top scorer
• the young and talented left wing, Nena Cernigoj was faultless in Slovenia's win against Slovenia as she scored six goals from as many attempts
• each and every outfield player of the German squad got on the scoresheet for Germany, which says everything about their brilliant all-round performance in the dominant win against Ukraine
• Silje Solberg-Oesthassel made 15 saves for Norway on the way to the successful title defence in the EHF EURO Cup and she recorded 50 percentage of save efficiency

GROUP 1

Bosnia Herzegovina vs Romania 16:37 (8:17)

A disappointing start saw the hosts fall early behind Romania as it took them almost ten minutes to score their opening goal. By that time, the visitors already built a three-goal lead (1:4), which turned into a five-goal lead just minutes later. The home team could not find a way past the goalkeeper, Bianca Curment who made seven saves in the first half, while on the other side of the court, Bianca Bazaliu was faultless as she scored six goals in the opening 30 minutes. At the break, the already qualified Romania took a big 12-goal lead on the way to maintain their perfect record in the qualifiers. The hosts doubled their goal tally in the second half, but they failed to score in the final eight minutes, while the visitors added another 20 goals. The line player - Lorena Ostase was the match's top scorer with seven goals in Bosnia Herzegovina's net and on the other side, Armina Isic scored four for the hosts.

GROUP 2

Israel vs Slovakia 24:35 (14:20)

The Israelis started the first match of the day in Heidelberg eager to secure their maiden points in the qualifiers, but the visitors were on a mission to get closer to the top two spots leading to the Women's EHF EURO 2024. With that being said, the Slovaks quickly rushed into a four-goal lead (1:5) in the 7th minute, setting the tone for the rest of the first half. The Israelis attempted to narrow the deficit, but with experience on the latter's side, they fully capitalised on Israel's technical errors, taking a six-goal lead at the break. Although Israel minimised turnovers in the second half, Slovakia did not slow down, extending their advantage late in the game and ultimately celebrated a very important and much-deserved win in the chase for the top spots, with Adriana Holejová and Martina Popovcová as joint-top scorers with six goals each.

Highlight Match: Ukraine vs Germany 21:43 (11:23)

The stakes were high in Heidelberg with a place in the Women's EHF EURO 2024 in sight as an award for the winner. However, Ukraine's slow and poor start to the match cost them dearly as they allowed Germany to build an early five-goal lead (4:9) by the 11th minute. Additionally, the German defence proved almost impenetrable, making the Ukrainians work hard for their goals, while Katharina Filter made six saves in the first half. Germany ran riot and took a double-digit lead at the break to all but confirm their ticket for the final tournament. Little changed in the second period as Germany continued to dominate, showcasing their best performance in the Highlight Match and routinely extending their lead further to cap off a brilliant output. Finally, Germany booked a ticket for the final tournament. Meret Ossenkopp finished as the match's top scorer with six goals to her name, while Antje Doll scored five goals without a miss.

GROUP 3

Finland vs Czechia 23:43 (10:25)

With Czechia starting round 5 in third place, Bent Dahl's squad appeared determined to secure a swift victory in Vantaa. The visitors swiftly surged ahead, leading by nine (2:11) by the 11th minute, showcasing formidable defensive prowess. Despite Finland's efforts to improve their attack, they struggled to contain Charlotte Cholevová (6) and Markéta Jeřábková (7), who combined for 13 goals in the first half alone. Moreover, Petra Kudláčková delivered a standout performance, tallying 14 saves with a 58.33% save efficiency rate, sealing a stellar half for Czechia. The Czech team continued to press Finland's defence relentlessly in the second half, with the hosts unable to match their pace as the deficit widened. Despite Finland's attempts to enhance their attacking effectiveness, Czechia ultimately clinched a resounding victory with a double-digit lead on the scoreboard, positioning themselves favourably to secure the second spot in the group ahead of the final round.

Portugal vs Netherlands 25:36 (11:19)

With the visitors known for their lightning-quick style of play, the one thing that Portugal should have avoided was to let them get off to a good start of the match. However, the number of teams who could do that is small and the Netherlands jumped into a three-goal (0:3) lead early as the hosts needed six minutes to score their opening goal. The visitors' strong defence made all the difference as they restricted Portugal to only three goals until the 14th minute, while their lead was growing and reached eight goals at the break. At the start of the second half, Portugal managed to narrow down the visitors' difference to four (20:24) in the 42nd minute, but then, the final blow followed as the Oranje Dames regained their biggest lead with a few fast breaks. In the end, the Netherlands celebrated a deserved double-digit win against Portugal who remain with a chance to make the final tournament in the last round. The lethal - Angela Malestein was the match's top scorer with 10 goals by her name for the visitors.

GROUP 4

Latvia vs Slovenia 16:34 (5:18)

The co-hosts of the Women's EHF EURO 2022 set a high tempo in the opening minutes of the match as the home team struggled to contain Slovenia's potent attack. Slovenia quickly established an eight-goal lead (2:10) by the 15th minute, leaving Latvia searching for answers. Latvia's scoring woes persisted, with their next goal not coming until the 27th minute, dealing a blow to their hopes of avoiding a significant defeat. Slovenia entered half-time with a commanding lead (5:18), while Latvia failed to find offensive rhythm, with only a few players contributing to the scoresheet. Despite improving their scoring in the second half, the hosts fell short of closing the gap on Slovenia's lead. Dragan Adzic's squad remained resolute in their pursuit of a dominant win in Dobele, ultimately securing a well-deserved victory with a double-digit difference. The result positions them in the driving seat to secure a place at the final tournament.

GROUP 8

Kosovo vs Poland 27:34 (17:17)

Both national teams entered the match in Prishtina eager to secure their first victory in the qualifiers, adding a palpable tension to the atmosphere. The spirited hosts surged ahead early, establishing a four-goal lead (5:1) by the 6th minute. However, Poland rallied to erase the deficit, levelling the score (15:15) by the 25th minute, just before half-time. Despite Kosovo having an opportunity to enter the break with a narrow lead, they failed to capitalise, and the teams remained deadlocked (17:17) at half-time. Leonora Demaj, Kosovo's playmaker, proved formidable, scoring eight goals from nine attempts in the first half. In the second period, Poland bolstered their defence and found greater efficiency in attack, securing a crucial four-goal lead (26:30) by the 54th minute, ultimately determining the final outcome. The visitors clinched a significant victory in Kosovo's capital, securing their first points in the qualifiers as they head into the final round.

EHF EURO CUP

Norway vs Hungary 33:18 (16:11)

The reigning EHF EURO Cup winners started the match on a high as they usually do, and Norway took a comfortable five-goal lead (7:2) already by the 6th minute. An advantage that the hosts carefully nurtured throughout the first half, while Hungary were trying to catch up and closed in at one point when they narrowed it down to three (14:11), but weren't able to prevent Marit Røsberg Jacobsen from scoring four goals from as many attempts, marking a perfect half for her. Norway were on their way to secure their second consecutive trophy in the competition as they went into the break with their biggest (five-goal) lead. As the minutes went by, Norway's dominance was growing in numbers as they extended their lead by the 45th minute and it was already a double-digit difference (25:15), which signaled the end of Hungary's hopes. Finally, Henny Reistad and Veronica Kristiansen scored five goals each for Norway, but Hungary's Viktória Györi-Lukács was the match's top scorer with six goals.

Photos: Finnish Handball Federation/Newspix (Finland), cvidigal/FAP (Portugal), Nikolle Quni (Kosovo), Marco Wolf (Germany, Israel)