Guinea earned their first win at the 2024 IHF Women’s World Championship, while Chile also won in the Placement Matches 29-32. Besides, Norway proved too strong for Montenegro in the Placement Matches 9-12, and in the other all-European clash, Switzerland snatched a hard-fought win over the Netherlands in the Placement Matches 13-16. 

PLACEMENT MATCHES 9-12

•     Montenegro vs Norway 23:30 (13:16)

PLACEMENT MATCHES 13-16

•     Netherlands vs Switzerland 25:26 (11:14)

PLACEMENT MATCHES 29-32
•    Canada vs Guinea 21:31 (9:18)
•    Chile vs Greenland 29:24 (13:11)

What happened: After five straight losses, Guinea registered their first win at China 2024, beating Canada by 10 goals. Mabinti Camara and Kadiatou Koumbassa stood out in the African team’s attack, scoring seven goals each, while goalkeeper M’mahawa Konte also played a key role, making 15 saves for a 43% saving efficiency. Canada’s goalkeepers also did a good job, yet the North American team had 34 turnovers throughout the match, so Guinea were dominant during 60 minutes. At half-time, they already led by nine goals, 18:9, and while the second half was more balanced, the Africans easily clinched a long-awaited win.

Chile were the only team in the Placement Matches 29-32 who had already taken a win at China 2024, as they had beaten Nigeria in the President’s Cup Group III. And on Thursday, the South Americans claimed another victory, this time against Greenland, who are still without a win at their debut IHF Women’s World Championship. Greenland’s Madeline Biornestad, who is one of the best scorers of the tournament, had a lot of impact once again, scoring seven goals, as her team fought hard and were leading for much of the first half. However, Chile led at the break, 13:11, and went on to dominate, as their top scorer Renata Lizana finished the game with eight goals.

Both Norway and Montenegro failed to reach the quarter-final, but they want to end the tournament on a high, and it was the Norwegians who won their encounter in the Placement Matches 9-12 by seven goals, 30:23. The Scandinavian team could rely on excellent defence and goalkeeping, as Leah Isabell Langaard made 21 saves for a 51% save rate, and they were dominant throughout the match after opening a 5:1 lead in the seventh minute. Montenegro tried to fight back and reduced the gap to just one goal on a couple of occasions before the break (10:11, 11:12), yet Norway, propelled by eight goals from Mali Haldorsson, held their nerve and had a clear advantage in the second half, progressing to the Placement Match 9-10. 

In the Placement Matches 13-16, Netherlands vs Switzerland was another all-European duel, and both sides, who had finished bottom of their main round groups, were determined to bounce back. And it was the Swiss side who grabbed a 26:25 victory, as Nora Emmenegger scored the winner with 103 seconds to play. The Netherlands had their only lead early in the game, 3:2, before their rivals had a 5:0 run and pulled clear, powered by the unstoppable Era Baumann. Switzerland went on to dominate, and while the Dutch team drew level at 20:20 and 25:25, the Swiss side ultimately won. 

Stat of the day: 14 - the number of goals scored by Switzerland’s Era Baumann against the Netherlands, and the left wing boasted a 100% shooting efficiency, converting all her 14 attempts. 

What’s next: On Friday, Guinea will try to repeat the result of their only previous IHF Women’s World Championship, 29th place at North Macedonia 2022, as they will face Chile in the Placement Match 29-30. Greenland will try to take their first-ever win at this level at the Placement Match 31-32, while Norway, Montenegro, Switzerland and the Netherlands are still waiting for their opponents in their last matches at China 2022, which will determine the positions from the ninth to the 16th.