Japan secured their best-ever finish at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, the seventh place, with a 32:27 win over Norway, while Montenegro also finished on a high, thanks to their 34:28 win against Serbia.

Placement Match 5/6
Montenegro vs Serbia 34:28 (19:13)

Montenegro’s best finish at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship was a bronze medal in 2010, but this time around they did not make the semi-finals, after conceding a loss against France in the quarter-finals.

Yet Montenegro still secured their best finish in the competition since 2010, with a strong display in the Placement Match 5/6 against Serbia, as their attack once again carried the load and provided some fantastic moments.

Powered by the MVP of the W19 EHF EURO 2025, Natalija Lekić, as well as sharpshooter Elena Mitrović, Montenegro took an early lead and added more and more as the time passed. A 3:0, followed by a 4:0 unanswered runs were instrumental in opening a six-goal lead, 19:13, at the break.

And from that moment on, there was no coming back. Mitrović finished with eight goals, while Lekić added four goals and two assists, as another 4:0 unanswered run opened an eight-goal lead, 24:16, with goalkeeper Teodora Roncević also averaging a 40% saving efficiency.

Serbia could not muster any type of comeback, conceding a 34:28 loss, but their sixth place is still the best finish since 2012, when they ended up on the fourth position.

Player of the Match: Natalija Lekić (Montenegro)

Placement Match 7/8
Norway vs Japan 27:32 (16:15)

Japan secured their best-ever finish at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, after ending on a high against Norway, in the Placement Match 7/8, with a 32:27 win seeing the Asian side finish seventh.

The previous top result was the eighth place in 1997, but Japan did one better, as this generation confirmed its potential, after finishing eight at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, which also took place in the People’s Republic of China.

The match was a high-paced one, with Japan and Norway trading blows from the start, but a 4:0 run from Norway, spurred by wing Synne With helped the Scandinavian side take their maiden two-goal lead, 9:7.

Japan replied with their own 5:0 unanswered run, engineered by Ririko Inayoshi, and wrestled back the lead, but Norway were in the driver’s seat at the break, leading by the slightest of margins, 16:15.

Nevertheless, Japan were never out of contention and with their goalkeeper, Hana Osaki, in stellar form in the second half, they bounced back. Osaki produced 13 saves for a 33% saving efficiency in the second part of the match, with the Japanese goalkeeper being named the Player of the Match, as her contribution tilted the balance.

Inayoshi was Japan’s top scorer, with six goals, as four other players scored four goals, with Japan taking the lead after 42 minutes, 21:19. It was the point of no return, as they eventually went to secure a 32:27 win, with Norway’s attacking efficiency collapsing to 57% by the end of the match.

Japan finished seventh, their best-ever finish and their fifth top-10 placement, while Norway ended eighth, a slight uptick from their previous 10th place ending.

Player of the Match: Hana Osaki (Japan)