The People's Republic of China made another step to their maiden quarter-finals of the IHF Women's Youth World Championship, with an astonishing win against Sweden, 34:31.

Spain also secured their fourth win in a row, 30:26, against the Netherlands, with another big step towards securing a place in the last eight of the competition which they won two years ago.

Main Round Group II
Spain vs Netherlands 30:26 (13:14)

The opening half lived up to expectations as Spain and the Netherlands produced a nip-and-tuck contest, with the lead changing hands on several occasions.

The Netherlands struck first with a 2:0 lead, but Spain quickly responded and drew level before Lucia Calleja Velasco put the reigning champions in front for the first time in the 10th minute.

Neither side managed to build a meaningful advantage from that point, with the teams continuing to trade goals until the halftime whistle. Spain found plenty of success down the right side, while Ivana Kwakman once again led the Dutch attack.

At both ends of the court, however, the goalkeepers stole the spotlight. Rebeca Secades Catalá and Camay Berkhout each finished the first half with a 35% save efficiency, playing a key role in keeping the contest finely balanced.

The same pace continued for 10 minutes after the break, before Spain finally found another gear. A much stronger defensive display forced the Dutch into rushed shots and costly misses, while Erika Vladu Vladu joined Lucia Calleja Velasco in leading the Spanish attack. The Spaniards gradually pulled away and opened a five-goal lead at 24:19 in the 45th minute.

The Netherlands then endured their toughest spell of the match, going scoreless for seven minutes before Jelena Ostojić finally ended the drought. However, by then Spain were firmly in control and comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure a 30:26 victory.

The win moved Spain onto four points in Main Round Group II, putting the reigning champions in an excellent position to reach the quarter-finals. The Netherlands are left needing other results to go their way to keep their slender hopes alive. Spain conclude the main round against Montenegro, while the Dutch will go head-to-head with Germany.

Player of the Match: Lucia Calleja Velasco (Spain)

Group III
People’s Republic of China vs Sweden 34:31 (17:17)

In a tough and exciting battle, the People’s Republic of China extended their winning run at Romania 2026 to four matches and made a big step towards the quarter-finals, having four points under their belt. In turn, Sweden suffered their second straight defeat and now have hardly any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

It was an intense game with an open exchange of goals from the early minutes. Sweden were the first team to create a two-goal gap, as Thea Lilja handed them a 9:7 lead in the 16th minute. However, China hit back soon to restore parity at 10:10.

One of the tournament’s leading scorers, Shuoyan Zhang, showed her good form once again, netting six times before the break. Sweden’s Tuva Schmidinger matched her with six goals in the opening half, and in the last three minutes before halftime, she notably delivered three goals, helping the Scandinavians stay level with their opponents. After Schmidinger drew level a few seconds before the interval, Zhang had a chance to put China in front, but her shot was saved by Erica Andrew.

In the second half, the rivals continued to trade goals, and neither team could pull away by more than one goal until the 52nd minute, when China created a 29:27 advantage. After that, the Chinese goalkeeper Xiaoyan Wang had a superb spell, making several crucial saves and denying Sweden a comeback.

Her teammate Shuoyan Zhang scored her 13th goal of the match in the 59th minute, as the Asians ultimately took the win and edged closer to a historic quarter-final.

Player of the Match: Shuoyan Zhang (People’s Republic of China)