The last two quarterfinalists of the IV Women’s Youth World championship in Montenegro are confirmed since Tuesday afternoon: Hungary proceeded to the knock-out stage as table-topper from group A after beating Sweden and Japan finished second below Norway in group D after winning the crucial encounter against Angola. The Japanese team is the only non-European quarterfinalist. The round of the top eight participants starts on Thursday same as the start of the placement round 9-12, 13-16 and 17-20.

Group A in Podgorica:

Hungary – Sweden 21:13 (10:5)

Hungary did not only qualify for the quarterfinal by this unexpected clear victory, but finished first in group A as the only unbeaten team with seven points  after three victories and a draw against the Netherlands. It was the first defeat for the Swedish team, which had progressed to the knock-out stage already before. Hungary will face the second ranked team of group B – either Russia or Romania – in their quarterfinal on Thursday in Bar, while Sweden face the winner of group B. Russia and Romania fight for the top position in their group this evening.

Hungary had shocked Sweden in the starting period with an extraordinary 8:0 series right from the beginning. The defending champions did not recover from this weak start until the end and scored their first goal after 25 minutes (!). They hit the net only five times before the break, as the Hungarian goalkeeper Zsofi Szemerey had shut her shop brilliantly with an overall number of 20 saves. In an uneven match poor of goals, again Luca Skekerczes was the top scorer for the victors with eight of 21 goals. Sweden finished with a highly weak scoring percentage of 26 percent.

Croatia – Netherlands 29:29 (14:13)

The Croatian girls let a clear lead slip from their hands, while the Netherlands took their second draw in this group. With one victory and defeat each and two draws the Dutch teams finish third below Hungary and Sweden and one point ahead of the Croats. The all-European encounter was the most thrilling match on Tuesday so far. Charlotte Logdenberg sealed the final result with a penalty goal after the final whistle against Croatian goalkeeper Ivana Kapitanovic after a foul caused by Martina Covic. Croatia was constantly in lead until the dying minutes. After the break the Balkan team even went away to a clear 19:13 margin, having the match under full control. But then the Netherlands bridged the gap minute by minute, led by Ana Pavkovic, who scored five of her eight goals in the second half. In minute 51 the Dutch team equalized for the first time at 26:26 then even took the lead once by 28:27, before the Croats again seemed on the winner’s way after a double strike. In the end, nine goals of Nikolina Tvoric were not enough to seal the deal and finish the preliminary round with a victory.

Final ranking of preliminary round group A:

1. Hungary 7 points, 2. Sweden 6 points, 3. Netherlands 4 points, 4. Croatia 3 points, 5. Paraguay 0 points

Upcoming matches on Thursday in Bar:

Quarterfinals: Hungary vs. second ranked team from group B, Sweden vs. winner of group B

Netherlands play in the placement round 9-12, Croatia in the placement round 13-16 and Paraguay in the placement round 17-20

Group D in Bar:

Norway – Brazil 34:14 (13:8)

Norway secured the group victory with a 100% record of four victories in four matches and a brilliant goal difference of +51 goals. They will face the second ranked team from group C - either France or Denmark, who face in the direct duel this evening – in the quarterfinal. The bronze medallist of the 2011 European championships underlined their ambitions in Montenegro, especially after the break. Though Norway started with a 6:0, Brazil caught up again to 8:6 and was still in sight at the break. But then the Norwegians speeded up and strengthened their defence to a wall. By a superb 13:2 series to 26:10 in only 17 minutes they finally confirmed the outcome. In the end the distance were 20 goals and Brazil also suffered from the shoulder injury of Paloma Pfiffer. Top scorer in a balanced Norwegian team was Jenny Groetan with six goals, but top scorer of the match was Gabriella Pessoa with seven goals.

Japan – Angola 34:25 (21:12)

After beating Brazil in their opener, Japan finished the preliminary round with another victory against a continental champion. A draw against Angola would have been enough to clinch the quarterfinal berth, but the Asians really overran their opponent. With three victories from four matches, Japan finished second in group D and is the only non-European quarterfinalist and will face the winner of group C – either Denmark or France – on Thursday. The Asians played their best performance in Montenegro and attacked with full-speed handball – much too fast for the Angolan defender. The Africans tried to profit from their height advantages, but the Japanese defence stopped them very early. Due to those interceptions and the following counter-attacks Japan broke the resistance and decided the match even before the break, as Angola was unlucky, too, by hitting the cross bar or the goal bar quite often – or the strong Japanese goalkeeper Miku Morimura stood in their way. In the second half Japan still paced up and had full control until the final buzzer.  Top scorers were Haruno Sasaki with eight goals for the Japanese team, in which all field players hit the net, and Kassia Cesar with eight goals (all after the break) for Angola.

Final ranking of preliminary round group D:

1. Norway 8 points, 2. Japan 6 points, 3. Brazil 4 points, 4. Angola 2 points, 5. Portugal 0 points.

Upcoming matches on Thursday in Podgorica:

Quarterfinals: Norway vs. second ranked team from group C, Japan vs. winner of group C

Brazil play in the placement round 9-12, Angola in the placement round 13-16 and Portugal in the placement round 17-20