Co-hosts of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship Germany put on a show for over 9,000 fans inside the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, blowing away Montenegro to qualify through to the quarter-finals for the fourth, consecutive event, after 2019 (8th), 2021 (7th) and 2023 (6th).

Main round, Group II
Montenegro vs Germany 18:36 (6:16)

Preventing your opponents from scoring for 15 minutes and being 9:0 up in the process is a pretty good way to start a match and set up a win and that is exactly what Markus Gaugisch and his Germany side did to state their intent here on home ground.

The result means that the co-hosts have won five games in a row in the competition so far and can now plan ahead to the last eight.

While the Germans were scoring at will early on, it took 13 attacks for their opponents to score, Katharina Filter making four saves in the opening 12 attacks, with the Montenegrins turning over the ball seven times – Matea Pletikosic responsible, with the usually full-of-life player returning to the bench after one, deflated.

Her coach Suzana Lazovic quickly took the opportunity for some reassurance and when Itana Grbic added her own support later on, together they eventually got off of the mark on the quarter-hour mark, through Dijana Trivić.

Despite coming to life for brief spells, Montenegro could not get motoring as Alina Grijseels poked and prodded with the attack, while Xenia Smits, Aimee Von Pereira and Filter provided a German-made brick wall to keep out any shots.

A second time out came (24th minute), but with just four goals scored it was evident that it was going to be a long night for the visitors. Less than 60 seconds later Filter made her seventh save, eventually moving to 11 (48%) before being rested – with three goals to her name too – and replaced by Sarah Wachter, Gaugisch rotating his team ahead of their final group clash, against Spain on Saturday (6 December) and a two-day rest ahead of their final eight match.

With a 10-goal lead at half-time (16:6) the crowd applauded and cheered their players off of court – such was the dominance of the players on both sides of the ball that there were gasps of surprise when Smits came onto court too eagerly just before the break, with the big backcourt player one too many on court and her side receiving a two-minute suspension for the infringement.

Nine turnovers in the first 30 minutes, combined with just a 35% shooting efficiency, highlighted the issues for Montenegro, who managed to reduce one and improve the other in the second period, but by then the damage was done as Lazovic rested and rotated her side too, ahead of their crucial, winner-takes-all clash against Serbia in the first match on Saturday.

While the second period was understandably closer with all the changes in personnel and the game already decided, the ruthlessness of the home team was evident as with the very last play of the game, Nina Engel pounced on a loose ball following a Montenegro save from Alexia Hauf to sink home and seal the win sending anyone and everyone connected with Germany home with a spring in their step – just like their players on court.

hummel Player of the Match: Katharina Filter (Germany)