Denmark and Hungary have sealed their quarter-finals berths, with their fourth win in as many matches at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, dominating Norway, 29:25, and the People’s Republic of China, 26:22, respectively.

The two sides join Spain, with five more quarter-finals berths to be delivered in the last day of the main round, scheduled for Tuesday in Chuzhou.

MAIN ROUND GROUP III

• Denmark vs Norway 29:25 (15:17)
• Hungary vs People’s Republic of China 26:22 (14:11)

PRESIDENT’S CUP GROUP III

• Romania vs Guinea 31:13 (16:7)
• Iceland vs Egypt 20:20 (11:11)

What happened: Denmark made their first step towards a quarter-finals berth at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship with their fourth win in a row, 29:25, over Norway. It was far from plain sailing for the Scandinavian side, which went down 3:8 after nine minutes, with their defence failing to stop any of the Norway attacks. But when Denmark started to up the tempo, they proved to be unstoppable. That did not happen until the second half, but when their defence took control, Norway could only score four goals in the first 21 minutes of the second part.

Surprisingly, Denmark’s top scorer and the top goal scorer of the competition before today’s matches, left wing Andrea Bjertrup Jensen, scored a singe goal. But Denmark had a significant contribution from centre back Cecilie Norskov, who finished the match with seven goals. A 9:2 run between the 32nd and the 45th minutes all but decided the outcome, as Denmark cruised to their fourth win in a row, 29:25, setting them up for a quarter-finals berth.

Hungary seemed to have the match in the bag against the People’s Republic of China, but the hosts delivered yet another fantastic performance for their level, after conceding a 20:28 loss against Denmark in the preliminary round, where the Scandinavian side could only create a gap late in the match. For 20 minutes, China even took the lead, but faltered due to Hungary’s depth and quality.

A 6:0 run between the 33th and the 40th minutes for Hungary was the pivotal moment of the match, as the European side jumped to a 21:13 lead, which proved to be unassailable. Once again, it was right back Virág Fazekas who led the effort for Hungary, as her 12 goals propelled Hungary’s player to the top of the goal scorer standings, with a 35-goal tally. It was not for the lack of trying for the Asian side, which cut the gap to three goals with four minutes left, but it was too little, too late, despite China really delivering an excellent performance. With the 26:22 win, Hungary are now second and will play Denmark for the first place on Tuesday.

In the President’s Cup, Romania enjoyed their largest win of the competition so far, 31:13 against Guinea, their second win against an African opponent, after the one against Egypt. Conceding only seven goals in the first half was the key for Romania, with their attack limited to 55%, but in the end, the European side clinched their second win at China 2024 and are first in the group standings, with four points.

In the second match of the group, Iceland and Egypt went toe to toe until the end of the match and shared the spoils, with a 20:20 draw seeing the two teams take one point each. Shahd Safeyelden Saadalla and Dagmar Pálsdóttir each scored eight goals in a match which did not help neither Iceland, nor Egypt. The European side is now second in the group, with three points, while Egypt are third, with one point, as Iceland face Romania in the last match of the group, in the battle for the first place.

Stat of the day: 12 – the number of goals scored by the Player of the Match between Hungary and China, right back Virág Fazekas, who is now the top goal scorer of the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, with 35 goals, eight more than Germany’s Marlene Tucholke

What’s next: Three of the eight quarter-finals berth have been decided at China 2024, with Spain, Denmark and Hungary progressing to the next phase. In Group III, Denmark and Hungary will play on Tuesday for the top place in the group, with a draw being enough for Hungary. On the other hand, Norway and the People’s Republic of China will settle for the Placement Matches.