Three more teams have secured their spots at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship main round, as Netherlands are through after beating the Republic of Korea in Group C, 24:19, while in Group D, France and Brazil also reached the next competition stage with their second straight victories against Kosovo and India respectively. 

GROUP C

• Netherlands vs Republic of Korea 24:19 (10:13)
• Canada vs Japan 10:51 (3:21)

GROUP D

• Kosovo vs France 16:44 (7:20)
• Brazil vs India 34:17 (14:11)

What happened: The Netherlands earned their second win in two days after a strong second-half comeback, as the Dutch side were losing to the Republic of Korea by three goals at half-time. The Korean side, who had shared the spoils with Japan in their opening match (27:27) hoped to do better on the following day, and they led 14:10 early in the second half, yet Netherlands had a 6:0 run between the 36th and 42th minute and went on to control the game. Their goalkeeper Anne De Boer stood like a wall and recorded 20 saves for a 51% saving efficiency, while right back Maud Horvers became the top scorer of the game with seven goals. The runners-up at the 2023 AHF Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship, which were restricted to just a 36% shooting efficiency, have only one point after two matches, yet they still harbor hopes for a main round berth. 

In the same Group C, Japan celebrated their biggest-ever win at the IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, 51:10 against Canada. The Asian side needed to win by as many goals as possible, as the overall goal difference may play a crucial role, and they opened the game with a 12:0 run, conceding for the first time nearly 19 minutes into the match. In the first half, Canada scored just three goals, and they went on to struggle afterwards, conceding as many as 52 turnovers. Yui Yasugahira became the top scorer for Japan, scoring nine goals, and the three Japanese goalkeepers combined for 18 saves. 

France, who had opened China 2024 with a 50:14 win over India, delivered another great attacking performance, beating the debutants Kosovo 44:16. The French side boasted a 81% shooting efficiency and scored 12 goals from fast breaks, as Corentine Senant became their leading scorer with six goals. In turn, Kosovo had 33 turnovers, and their goalkeepers made just four saves, so the European side suffered their second consecutive defeat and lost a chance to reach the main round.

Brazil somewhat struggled in the first half of the encounter with India, leading by just three goals at the interval. However, the South American side improved a lot after the restart, conceding just six goals in the second half and cruising to a commanding 17-goal victory, which secured their main round spot. While 11 Brazilian players netted at least one, it was India’s Sujata Sujata who became the top scorer of the game with nine goals - however, her team will go to the President’s Cup. 

Stat of the day: Japan took the biggest win at China 2024 so far, defeating Canada by as many as 41 goals, and they scored the biggest number of goals in a single match in the current competition, 51, surpassing France, who had beaten India 50:14 on the opening day. 

What’s next: In Group B, the Republic of Korea may still go through if they beat Canada, and Japan lose against Netherlands on Saturday. However, the Koreans will also need to have a better goal difference, as they have "-5" and Japan "+41" now. And in Group D, the winner of the last round match between France and Brazil will start the main round with two points.