The Netherlands showcased determination and secured a closely contested 37:32 win over North Macedonia, and secured their spot in the main round after a fiery match.

GROUP D
Netherlands vs North Macedonia 37:32 (18:15)

North Macedonia started the match strong, taking an early 2:1 lead, but the Netherlands quickly capitalised on their opponent's mistakes, turning the game in their favour with a 4:2 after just seven minutes. Despite this setback, Kiril Lazarov's team, backed by thousands of passionate fans in Varaždin, refused to back down.

Boosted by another great performance by their left wing Filip Kuzmanoski and excellent connection of the back players with line player Zharko Peshevski, North Macedonia soon snatched back the lead (8:7). It was fuel for the North Macedonian players' passion, with the whole bench celebrating every goal and encouraging fans to become even louder. With that, and another good day at the office for Nikola Mitrevski, North Macedonia held onto their narrow lead throughout the first part of the match.

However, the tide shifted when Petar Atanasijevikj, who had a crucial role in the team, conceded a direct red card. This disrupted the team's flow, and the Netherlands took advantage, easily creating a numerical advantage to the left wing, pushing Rutger Ten Velde to his five goals.

All resulted in a 5:0 goal run from which the Dutch widened the gap, putting them ahead 17:13 just before halftime. Lazarov, visibly frustrated, urged his team to perform better in defence and try to make the most out of the second wave fast breaks, but they were trailing by three goals at the break, 18:15.

The Netherlands had a blistering start to the second half, setting a five-goal lead early on, but North Macedonia were clearly inspired by handball and in five minutes managed to cut down the lead to only two goals, 23:21. From that moment on, there was a see-saw effect, as wth each Dutch bigger lead, North Macedonia came back, but never enough to jeopardise their opponents' win.

The Netherlands also had a change between the posts for a short moment when Rob Goudriaan came in for a penalty instead of Matthias Dorgelo in his third-ever international match. Bart Ravensbergen, who just returned from his cruciate ligament injury, rested in the stands after a great performance against Guinea. They also were left without defensive player Robin Schoenaker in the last ten minutes of the match, following his third two-minute suspension and the subsequent red card.

Five minutes before the end, the Netherlands were holding a 32:29 lead, with Ten Velde netting his 11th goal, cementing his top scorer title. As the clock was ticking towards the final whistle, the pressure was high, and the nerves started showing on both sides. North Macedonia's Milan Lazarevski saw the third red card of the match, while Lazarov's side was unable to mount a comeback, conceding a 32:37 loss.

The Netherlands will try to keep their winning streak going against Hungary on Sunday, in what is an important game for both sides, while North Macedonia will seek their first win at the World Championship and progression to the main round against Guinea.

hummel Player of the Match: Luc Steins (Netherlands)