Norway proved once again too strong on the biggest stage, overpowering co-hosts the Netherlands 35:25 in a sold-out Ahoy Arena to book their place fir the tenth time in a IHF Women's World Championship final. After a balanced opening, the European champions gradually took control with another dominant performance from Henny Reistad, who was the hummel Player of the Match, after scoring 10 times.

Semi-finals
Netherlands vs Norway 25:35 (14:18)

It was a tight contest from the start in the sold-out Ahoy Arena, with neither side flinching. Norway held a narrow one-goal lead early on, with Henny Reistad leading the charge and scoring three times, supported by Nora Mørk, who converted all three penalties. The two combined for all of Norway's goals in the first 11 minutes.

The Netherlands struggled to find a solution for Norway's defence, but they handled the early pressure well and restored parity until the Norwegians moved ahead 7:5 after Katrine Lunde's first two saves. That moment gave extra impetus to the European champions, who stretched the lead to four (12:8) as the clock hit the 20-minute mark, with Henny Reistad still the focal point of the attack. She netted her seventh of the day by then and went on to finish with 10 goals, earning the hummel Player of the Match award.

Even though both teams usually thrive on a fast pace and look to score as much as possible from fast breaks and quick transitions, this match slowed them down. Attacks averaged 38 seconds for both sides, as six-on-six play prevailed throughout the first 30 minutes. Experience and a well-oiled Norwegian machine proved decisive, as they went into the break with an 18:14 lead, while the Dutch were mostly successful breaking through the back court, using little of their wings and line player.

The co-hosts were not able to widen the game after the break either, even though they tried to win their duels and keep the flow, but were left goalless for five minutes after netting at the start of the second half. Norway, on the other hand, did what they do best, executing every attack with patience and precision, converting 75% of their chances compared to the Dutch 43%.

In the 38th minute, Ingvild Bakkerud scored to open up the first eight-goal lead (23:15), as Norway looked to push toward double digits early in the second half. Still, their open defence created space for the co-hosts, who used that window to close the gap to 18:24 within four minutes. Their good run extended all the way to the 45th minute when they came from being down by nine to just four goals (25:21), forcing Norway to a time-out.

It was just the pressure they needed; it woke them up and set them back on course toward a comfortable and convincing win. Katrine Lunde started making saves at the right moment, while the Dutch attack seemed to have less and less energy with eight minutes left on the clock. Norway entered the last ten minutes with 32:24.

There was nothing the co-hosts could do in the closing moments to endanger Norway's win, and with the buzzer, Veronica Kristiansen sealed a double-digit victory, 35:25, claiming Norway's fourth knockout-stage win against the Netherlands.

Norway secured their 10th IHF Women's World Championship final appearance and their 14th medal overall - only it remains to be decided whether it will be gold or silver as they will face Germany on Sunday. For the Dutch, there is still a chance to claim their fourth medal at this stage, and a second bronze after 2017, as they will clash against France.

hummel Player of the Match: Henny Reistad (Norway)