Egypt produced a comeback for the ages to secure their fourth win in a row at the 2026 IHF Women's Youth World Championship, finishing the match with the Republic of Korea with a 6:0 run to secure a 28:27 win.

Slovenia resisted a sturdy comeback from European champions Slovakia to clinch a 24:23 win and complicate matters in Group IV of the main round.

Group I
Egypt vs Republic of Korea 28:27 (13:13)

In a dramatic fight, an impressive late surge helped Egypt clinch their fourth consecutive win at Romania 2026 and edge closer to the quarter-finals. The African side now have four points, while the Republic of Korea have no points under their belt and can hardly count on a top-eight finish.

In a match full of twists and turns, Egypt had a slow start, scoring just one goal in the opening 13 minutes and barely even managing any shots on goal during that time. The Koreans worked well in defence, forcing the Africans into turnovers, and they took a 6:1 lead, prompting the Egyptian coach to call his first timeout only 10 minutes into the match.

That had an effect after a while, as the African side found their rhythm in attack and began to close the gap. In the 17th minute, they were still trailing 5:9, but right back Yasmine Farrag powered a 4:0 run, helping her team draw level at 9:9. The game remained balanced in the final 10 minutes before the break, with neither team pulling clear by more than one goal, so the 13:13 score at halftime looked fair.

Soon after the restart, Korea enjoyed a 3:0 run, as a couple of goals from Eunyul Kim lifted them to a 19:15 lead. Sondos Abouelazaiem's goals helped Egypt cut the gap to two, but left back Kim, who was hard to stop in the second half, scored three consecutive goals between the 50th and 52nd minutes, handing her team a 26:20 lead after a 4:0 run.

The game looked almost settled, but Egypt showed great resolve in the remaining time. Abouelazaiem and Malak Elbadry sparked the late surge, and their goals, combined with Jaydaa Salama's saves, helped the Africans mount a crucial comeback, ending the game with an 8:1 run. With 65 seconds to go, Merna Abdelnaser drew level at 27:27, and after Salama saved Kim's shot, Malak Aboyoussef scored the last-gasp winner, sending her team into celebration.

Player of the Match: Eunyul Kim (Republic of Korea)

Main Round Group IV
Slovakia vs Slovenia 23:24 (11:14)

Slovenia entered the match knowing that a victory would keep their quarter-final hopes alive after carrying no points into the main round, while Slovakia arrived with two points already on the board.

The opening stages were evenly contested, with neither side able to establish more than a narrow advantage. Slovenia were the first to create some breathing room as Lija Koželj fired her side two goals in front.

Slovakia struggled to find solutions against Slovenia's compact 6-0 defence, finishing the first half with an attacking efficiency below 50%. At the other end, Slovenia gradually found their rhythm and capitalised on Slovak misses, stretching the gap to three goals before the halftime whistle.

Slovenia picked up where they had left off after the restart, using another scoring run to open an 18:12 advantage as Katja Štukelj netted her sixth goal of the day, while Slovakia went scoreless for the opening five minutes. A timely timeout helped the Slovaks regroup, and within seven minutes they had cut the deficit to 19:16, refusing to let Slovenia pull away.

The momentum shifted again when Slovenia's progress was hampered by two two-minute suspensions. With two players down, the Slovenians struggled to break through Slovakia's aggressive 5-1 defence, allowing the hosts to close within one at 21:20 entering the final 10 minutes.

The closing stages delivered plenty of drama — Slovenia restored a three-goal cushion at 23:20 through disciplined defending and several crucial blocks, but Slovakia refused to surrender. Inspired by goalkeeper Kristína Kubicínová, the hosts fought back to level the score at 23:23 with just 32 seconds remaining. However, Slovenia had the final say as Sandra Gajić found the net almost on the buzzer to seal a dramatic 24:23 victory.

It also marked Slovenia's second win over Slovakia at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship, with all three meetings between the countries now having been decided by three goals or fewer (33:30, 21:22 and 24:23).

Slovakia will now face Switzerland in a decisive battle for a quarter-final place, while Slovenia meet Japan with the same objective.

Player of the Match: Liliana Gogová (Slovakia)