Hungary's second win sees them through to the main round

02 Dec. 2023

Hungary's second win sees them through to the main round

A few hours after Montenegro sealred their main round berth, Hungary became the second team from Group B to go through to the next phase of the 2023 IHF Women's World Championship, as they took a commanding win against Cameroon, 39:20. 

Group B
Hungary vs Cameroon 39:20 (18:8)


After two games, Hungary and Montenegro are on four points, and the two European sides will face each other in the last group match on Monday, with the winner taking the maximum number of points into the main round. On the same day, Cameroon will meet Paraguay, and the winner of this encounter will progress to the main round. Notably, a draw will be enough for the African side, as they have a better goal difference that the South American team.

Cameroon opened the score in the match against Hungary, as Sonya Nnomo netted from a fast break, making an improvement from the first match at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, when they needed 24 minutes and 42 seconds to open their account. However, this was the African team's only lead throughout the game, as Hungary, who were missing the injured wings Viktória Lukács and Gréta Márton, answered with a 4:0 run and create an unassailable lead.

Blanka Böde-Bíró, Hungary's top goalkeeper in the opening match against Paraguay, was rested this time, but Zsofi Szemerey also did a good job, boasting a 43% save rate in the first half. On the other hand, Cameroon improved their attack compared to the opening match against Montenegro, when they scored just twice in the first half, putting eight past Hungary, but the gap was still in double digits, 18:8, at the break.

The match was all but decided, but Hungary continued to push ahead in the second half, ultimately boasting a 75% shot efficiency, improving their lead, which ballooned to 19 goals in the end, 39:29.

12 of Hungary's 13 outfield players found the net at least once, with Katrin Klujber, the hummel Player of the Match, becoming the top scorer with seven goals. Szemerey ended the game with 12 saves and a 40% save rate, while Anna Bukovszky, who replaced her late in the match, stopped four of six shots. 

Cameroon ultimately hit the 20-goal mark, scoring almost twice as many goals as two days before (11), but they still lost by 19 goals and now all their focus will be on the last match, against Paraguay. On the other hand, Hungary have conceded the lowest number of goals, 32, between the sides which played two matches so far at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 and will be aiming for the third win in a row against Montenegro on Monday, as Group B will conclude in Helsingborg.

hummel Player of the Match: Katrin Klujber (Hungary)