Czechia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Chile secured the 25th, 27th and 29th places, as the President's Cup concluded at North Macedonia 2024, in the Jane Sandanski 2 Sports Center.

PRESIDENT'S CUP
PLACEMENT MATCH 25/26
Czechia vs Chinese Taipei 36:15 (14:7)

Czechia claimed a convincing victory against the Chinese Taipei in the battle for the 25th place at the 2024 IHF Women's Junior World Handball Championship, 36:15, ending the competition on a high.

Teams were off to a slow start in Jane Sandanski 2 Sports Centre, with the defences working good in the first minutes. But as time passed and teams started to heat up, it was Czechia that responded well to Chinese Taipei's fast-paced play and their quick transitions.

The European side had a four-goal lead on two occasions in the first 20 minutes, being able to score from each position, while also showing a good defensive performance. 

The Chinese Taipei failed to score from the 25th minute and their bad run extended into the second half, all the way to the 36th minute. During that time Czechia were looking dominant and propelled to an 18:7, following their 8:0 run.

The Asian team netted only eight times in the second half and only right back Yun Ju Tien was up for the task as she finished the match with six goals, being Chinese Taipei's top scorer. 

Being successful in the attack only 15 times is the lowest number of goals scored in a single match at North Macedonia 2024 for the Chinese Taipei, while Czechia had 12 out of their 14 players score at least one goal. Their goalkeepers, Kristýna Stojarová and the Alkaloid Player of the Match Patricie Wizurová, both were above 44% save efficiency.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Patricie Wizurová (Czechia)

PLACEMENT MATCH 27/28
Islamic Republic of Iran vs Uzbekistan 40:31 (20:16)

Iran wrote history at their second IHF Women's Junior World Handball Championship, finishing 25th after a solid win over Uzbekistan, on the last day of the President's Cup at North Macedonia 2024.

The opening minutes of the game marked the lead changing hands, as teams were in good momentum. Uzbekistan had an additional boost, wanting to get their revenge against the Islamic Republic of Iran after a narrow loss at the 2023 Asian Women's Junior World Handball Championship.

The first side to get to a more significant lead, even though it was not enough to be in front for more than five minutes, was Iran. Empowered by their best player and one of the competition's best scorers, Fatemeh Merikh, they opened a three-goal lead, 11:8.

The last ten minutes of the first half were at full throttle. The high-pressure game turned into a high-scoring game with a plethora of goals. Left back Nastaran Koudzarifarahani joined Fatemeh Merikh and the duo scored 18 out of Iran's 20 goals at halftime. Uzbekistan shining star Sevinch Erkabaeva kept her side going, also netting nine in 30 minutes. Defensive-wise, teams were letting go too easily.

As the second half commenced, Uzbekistan started making rookie mistakes and 2-minute suspensions unravelled any potential comeback. It was obvious they also felt Iran were on a run, producing a 4-0 unanswered run, helping them to build a break which eventually led to the first double-digit lead (33:23).

With all but assured victory in their hands, Iran slowed the tempo down as they counted towards the 40-goal mark. It is only the second time Iran managed to score 40 against a team on the world stage, after beating Mexico 46:26 at Slovenia 2022.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Nastaran Koudzarifarahani (Islamic Republic of Iran)

PLACEMENT MATCH 29/30
Chile vs United States of America 33:26 (18:13)

Chile's excellent attacking display secured them a win against the United States of America on the final day at North Macedonia 2024, which secured the 29th place, which is their worst-ever finish in the competition.

Chile were still boosted after winning the penalties drama against Algeria and opened the account with a 6:3 tun. Amanda Riquelme and Isidora Valdivieso pulled their team and showed once again why they have been crucial so far for Chile. The United States of America took advantage of the South American two-minute suspensions in quick succession and levelled with their own 3:0 run, 6:6.

Isabella Gore's saves proved to be a real boost for the Chile team, as they used fast breaks to make a break ahead of the break. The South American side created a 6:1 run in span of eight minutes and set a 18:13 lead. The United States of America converted only 54% shots by halftime and knew they needed to improve if they wanted to catch up.

Right wing Eden Nesper and left wing Viva Kreis powered ahead and helped the USA to narrow the gap to two. Unfortunately, they had enough energy left to keep up with the imposed pace for 14 minutes. 

The sheer number of mistakes and bad ball handling saw the North American trail again as Chile set their biggest lead in the game (30:24). By the end of the game, they further stretched the lead to final 33:26, to secure a winning finish to the competition.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Isidora Valdivieso (Chile)