Denmark sealed a quarter-finals berth with their fourth consecutive win at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, 29:23, against the Republic of Korea, with both finalists of the W19 EHF EURO 2023, Denmark and Hungary, now progressing from Group II.

MAIN ROUND
GROUP II
Denmark vs Republic of Korea 29:23 (19:12)

A violent hailstorm which affected Skopje saw the match moved to the Boris Trajkovski Sports Center for the second half, as the power went down in the Jane Sandanski Sports Center, at the break, when Denmark were already up by seven goals, 19:12, after a dominating display in the first half against the Republic of Korea.

The two teams knew each other well, having previously played the final of the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship in Skopje, when these two generations collided into a fiery clash, with the Asian side securing the win and becoming the first non-European team to secure the title in the world handball flagship competition for that age category.

But this time around, Korea were already soundly defeated by Hungary in the preliminary round and needed a miracle to progress to the next phase, a miracle which did not come against Denmark, which proved too strong in attack for the Asian team.

Nevertheless, the Republic of Korea enjoyed a lively start, taking a 6:4 lead after nine minutes, but Denmark bounced back with a fantastic 7:1 run, powered by two goals from left wing Matilde Vestergaard and two goals from right back Nanna Vinther, taking an 11:7 lead.

That lead grew even further towards the end of the first half, as Korea simply made too many easy turnovers, while the Asian side’s goalkeepers failed to provide any save from the 19 shots they faced, with Denmark cruising to a 19:12 lead, which made them favourites to secure the two points and, subsequently, a quarter-finals berth.

After a 75-minute break, due to the change of venue to the Boris Trajkovski Sports Center, after the power was cut out in the Jane Sandanski Sports Center, the match resumed and Denmark picked up where they left off, using a 4:0 run to open up a 10-goal lead, 22:12, only for Korea to answer with their own 3:0 run.

Denmark then replied with a 4:0 run, cancelled by another Korea 4:0 run, as the Scandinavian side had a 28:20 lead with six minutes to go in the match. With Vestergaard finishing the match with five goals, tying Montenegro's Jelena Vukčević as the top scorer of the competition with 30 goals, Denmark eventually sealed their fourth win in a row, 29:23.

Denmark and Hungary have now qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship from Group II of the main round. The two teams will collide on Tuesday, with the winner of the clash taking the first place in the group.

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Matilde Vestergaard (Denmark)