The first main round spots at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship were secured by Croatia and Montenegro, with the two sides securing their second wins on the first matches played on Thursday in Group B, while Sweden used their depth to deliver a 34:28 win against Austria and inching even closer to the next phase of the competition.

GROUP A

• Chile vs Serbia 24:30 (9:11)
• Sweden vs Austria 34:28 (16:14)

GROUP B

• Angola vs Croatia 14:30 (4:19)
• Montenegro vs Nigeria 26:9 (13:6)

What happened: The first two main round berths at the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship were handed on the second day of competition, as Croatia and Montenegro doubled down on their wins in the first day against Nigeria and Angola respectively.

Croatia delivered a fantastic first half against Angola, conceding only four goals, the lowest number conceded in history by the European side at the IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, scoring at free will after turnovers from the African side. Left wing Katja Vuković was her team’s top scorer, with eight goals, followed by left back Ivana Fratnik, with seven goals.

On the other hand, Montenegro conceded six goals in the first half and only three in the second half against Nigeria, as another excellent defensive performance helped the European side seal their main round sport, with a 26:9 win against Nigeria. So far, the African side has scored only 20 goals in the first two matches, while Montenegro and Croatia have both conceded 25 goals after two matches.

In Group A, Serbia extended their chances to progress to the main round after the 30:24 win against Chile, but will need to deliver a win against Sweden in the last match. However, the South American side displayed a good performance, with goalkeeper Daniela Asenjo boasting 12 saves for a 32% saving efficiency, a fantastic performance in these conditions. By the 50th minute, Chile were only four goals down, 20:24, but in the last part of the match, Serbia pushed the pedal and secured a six-goal win, 30:24, to win their first two points in the competition.

Probably the most balanced match in the first part of the second day of the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship was the one between Sweden and Austria, with both sides securing wins in the first matches. With more depth, Sweden left what was good until last, but all of their 13 outfield players scored at least one goal, with Isabelle Rydén shining on the court, with eight goals scored. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Austria were two goals down, but then Sweden went on a scoring spree, finishing the match with a 10:6 run to deliver a 34:28 win.

Stat of the day: 4 goals – The number of goals conceded by Croatia in a flawless first half against Angola, with the second goal scored by Angola coming after 19 minutes.

What’s next: In Group A, Sweden are close to qualification to the main round, only a loss by 10 goals or more against Serbia in the last match of the preliminary round seeing them out. In Group B, the match between Croatia and Montenegro, scheduled for Saturday, will decide which team starts with two points in the next phase of the competition.