After Romania's victory over Brazil, the Netherlands became the second European team in Group A to start the 2024 IHF Women's Junior World Championship with a win.

GROUP A
Netherlands vs Islamic Republic of Iran 34:11 (16:3)

While the Romanian side struggled against their South American opponents a few hours earlier, the Dutch were the dominant team against the Islamic Republic of Iran from the very first minute.

The Dutch built a 9:0 lead before the Iranians scored their first goal in the 16th minute with a penalty converted by left wing Nastaran Koudzarifarahani.

When the Islamic Republic of Iran substituted their goalkeeper, Mohaddeseh Shabani managed to register several saves and both teams remained scoreless for almost six minutes. Nevertheless, the Netherlands continued to hold the upper hand, which was reflected in a 13-goal lead at half-time that left little doubt as to the outcome of the game.

The Iranian scored three goals in the first 30 minutes, but their attacking play improved in the second half. However, the Asians finished the game with a below-average scoring rate of 28%, while the Netherlands scored 65%.

The Netherlands rotated their squad and eleven of their players got on the scoresheet, with right-back Moud Horvers making the biggest contribution with seven goals. The Dutch goalkeepers also did a good job: Bianca Schanssema, Alcaloid Player of the Match, chose by the fans on ihf.info and the IHF app, achieved a save percentage of 75% with nine saves, while Nikki van der Vorst contributed a further six.

As a result, the Netherlands and Romania have two points each, while the Islamic Republic of Iran and Brazil have no points. On Thursday, the Iranians will face Romania and the Netherlands Brazil, and if both European teams win again, they will qualify for the main round early.

Alkaloid player of the match: Bianca Schanssema, Netherlands