The main round of the 2024 IHF Women's Youth World Championship ended, with another four matches in Groups III and IV. Germany grabbed the last remaining quarter-final spot despite their loss against Spain, and Hungary maintained their perfect record by beating Denmark. 

In the International Handball Hall in Chuzhou, another record attendance for a match at the IHF Women's Youth World Championship was set, with 5,680 spectators cheering for the People's Republic of China in their close-fought loss against Norway, 24:27.

MAIN ROUND GROUP III

• People's Republic of China vs Norway 24:27 (12:13)
• Denmark vs Hungary 25:27 (14:13)

MAIN ROUND GROUP IV

• Spain vs Germany 25:21 (14:13)
• Switzerland vs Czechia 15:18 (6:12)

What happened: Both People's Republic of China and Norway had lost a chance to reach the quarter-finals, yet they fought for the third position in Group III, and it was Norway who won and will now head to the Placement Matches 9-12, while the home side will go to the Placement Matches 13-16. China's Jing Liang became the top scorer of the game with seven goals, yet her team had a 55% shooting efficiency compared to Norway's 64%. The European team led 11:5 in the 21th minute before the hosts came back into the match with a 7:1 run, but after the sides were level at 18:18 in the 40th minute, Norway enjoyed a 5:0 run which proved crucial to secure their win, in front of another record attendance for the IHF Women's Youth World Championship, 5,680 spectators.

Hungary and Denmark had booked their quarter-final tickets before their mutual encounter, and it was the Hungarians who extended their 100% record in the competition, finishing top of Group III. It was a very close game, and the Danish side opened up a three-goal advantage midway through the first half (7:4) before still leading at the interval (14:13). But although Virag Fazekas, Hungary's top scorer in the competition, netted just once this time, her team turned the tide in the second half. While Anne Plougstrup's nine goal at the match helped the Danes to draw level at 24:24 with four minutes to go, Hungary did a better job in the remaining minutes and snatched a victory. 

Spain, who had already secured their quarter-final berth, did not slow down and maintained their perfect record in the competition by beating Germany. The Spanish team were dominant throughout the entire game and conceded their lead just once, when their rivals enjoyed a 4:0 to draw level at 11:11 in the 24th minute. But after that, Spain accelerated again, and while they were in front by just one goal at half-time, free-flowing attack and Goundo Gassama's saves (she had a 38% efficiency) helped the team to a commanding 24:15 lead 11 minute from full-time. The tournament's top scorer Marlene Tucholke netted 10 times and increased her tally at China 2024 to 37 goals, as Germany cut the deficit to 21:25 in the end and ultimately progressed to the quarter-final despite a loss.

Switzerland needed to beat Czechia by 10 goals or more to leapfrog the Germans and climb to the second position, but they lost in a low-scoring encounter, 15:18, and dropped to the fourth place. It was a very defensive game, as both rivals had a below-par shooting efficiency: Czechia 42%, Switzerland 41%. The Czech side had the upper hand, as they were leading 12:6 at the break, yet Switzerland did not give up and used an impressive 5:0 run in the second half to take a 15:14 lead. However, Czechia regained the initiative in the closing 10 minutes, as their goalkeeper Nikola Fadrna boasted a 40% save rate, and climbed to the third place, heading to the Placement Matches 9-12. 

Stat of the day: 5,680 – the number of spectators attending the match between the People's Republic of China and Norway, beating the previous record by 530 spectators.

What's next: All four quarter-final pairings are now confirmed, as Croatia will play Denmark, France will face Germany, Hungary will meet Serbia, and Spain will play Japan on Thursday, after a rest day.