Portugal finished the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship on a high, with a 26:25 win over Sweden, claiming their best-ever finish in the history of the competition, the fifth place.

Iceland also delivered a fantastic performance against Switzerland, sealing the best-ever finish themselves, with a 29:26 win in the Placement Match 7/8.

PLACEMENT MATCH 5/6
Sweden vs Portugal 25:26 (16:13)

A fantastic Portugal generation wrote another piece of history in Skopje on Sunday afternoon, after clinching a 26:25 win against Sweden, which confirmed the fifth place in the final standings of the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, the best-ever finish for Portugal in the competition.

While their most experienced player, right back Luciana Rebelo had an off match, turning the ball over seven times and scoring her first goal in the 51st minute, Portugal still managed to stay close to Sweden. The Scandinavian side took the lead in the first half, which ended with a three-goal lead for Sweden, 16:13, as left wing Michelle Holgersson and left back Emma Mihailovic combind for seven goals.

However, Portugal had a better start of the second half and under the guidance of their top scorer, centre back Constança Sequeira, and goalkeeper Matilde Rosa, the most consistent players in the competition, they went on a 5:0 unanswered run, turning the match on its head and taking a 20:18 lead.

Portugal improved that lead to three goals, 26:23, but failed to score in the last four minutes and 34 seconds of the match, as Sweden mounted a spirited comeback, cutting the lead to one goal, 26:25, only for one turnover and two costly misses, both coming after saves from Matilde Rosa, helping Portugal seal the win.

Sequeira finished the match with eight goals and jumped on the second place in the top goal scorer standings of the competition, with 62 goals, 12 less than the top scorer, Jelena Vukčević, while Rosa finished the match with 14 saves for an outstanding 41% saving efficiency.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Constança Sequeira (Portugal)

PLACEMENT MATCH 7/8
Iceland vs Switzerland 29:26 (14:12)

A 4:1 start for Iceland ensured that the Nordic side had the upper hand, as both European sides which opened the last day at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championshp aimed for the win. But a 6:2 comeback for Switzerland saw the lead changing hands for the first time, as line player Nora Snedkerud and left back Clairebel Coker scored a pair of goals.

However, Switzerland could not contain the momentum and Iceland bounced back, spurred by Elín Klara Thorkelsdóttir, arguably the most consistent player for her side at North Mscedonia 2024, with the centre back scoring five goals and dishing five assists in the match, to take her overall tally to 40 goals in the competition.

By half-time, Iceland were up two goals, 14:12, but it was definitely not a lead which Iceland could feel confident about, as Switzerland themselves created good chances and some good pressure in both defence and attack, with everything being decided in the second half.

Indeed, left wing Alessia Riner, the Alkaloid Player of the Match, led Switzerland once again with five goals and was the lightning rod for a 5:1 run, which saw Switzerland take the lead once again, in the 49th minute, 21:20, as Iceland looked flabbergasted, scoring just six goals in the process.

But once again, an aggressive seven-on-six tactic deployed by Iceland was the winning card for the Nordic side, which bounced back and scored nine times in the last 11 minutes, to finish the match with a 9:5 run, which brought them another win in their most successful edition of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, as their 29:26 win secured the seventh place at the end of the competition.

On the other hand, Switzerland tied their best-ever result at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, finishing on the eighth place, after starting North Macedonia with four wins and conceding four losses in their last four matches. Nevertheless, the potential of this generation, which can be the core of the future senior team, has been once again underlined.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Alessia Riner (Switzerland)