Thanks to a four-goal victory against the Netherlands, 36:32, Hungary finished top of Group D and will take three points to the main round, while Netherlands start the next competition phase with two points. 

GROUP D
Hungary vs Netherlands 36:32 (19:17)

Netherlands enjoyed a better start in this important match, looking more focused and preventing turnovers in the opening minutes. Line player Lars Kooij and right wing Robin Nachtegaal were the stars of the start of the match, helping their team to create a 7:4 lead after only nine minutes.

By that time, both goalkeepers had not delivered a single save, but then Hungary's Kristof Palasics stopped a couple of shots, which boosted his team's confidence. Also spurred by some goals from Zoltan Szita and Bence Banhidi, the team coached by Chema Rodriguez started their comeback, drawing level at 9:9 midway through the first half.

Then Hungary gained momentum and increased tempo, and they forced Netherlands to make turnovers, pulling ahead at 16:13 with four minutes to go in the first half. The Dutch goalkeepers failed to impress in the first half, as Bart Ravensbergen and Matthias Dorgelo made just two saves between themselves, and their team were trailing by two goals after 30 minutes.

Despite getting several two-minute suspensions, Hungary continued to have the upper hand after the break, extending their lead to 24:20 by minute 38. Szita continued to lead the Hungarian attack, but the Dutch left wing Rutger ten Velde also was hard to stop, and his team did their best to make a comeback. 

Ten Velde became the top scorer of the match with 10 goals, taking his tally at the competition to 30 goals, just one fewer that North Macedonia's Filip Kuzmanovski. And while Hungary led by two to four goals most of the second half, Netherlands used a 3:0 run to cut the deficit to a single goal, 33:32, as goalkeeper Ravensbergen scored into an empty net from his own half in the 56th minute.

They had a chance to draw level, but Dany Baijens' shot was saved by Palasics, and in the remaining rime, Hungary enjoyed their own 3:0 run to earn a victory, handing Netherlands their first defeat at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, improving their chances of progression to the quarter-finals, as they start the next phase with three points, with the Dutch side close behind, with two points. 

hummel Player of the Match: Luc Steins (Netherlands)