Five talking points before the quarter-finals at Slovenia 2022

29 Jun. 2022

Five talking points before the quarter-finals at Slovenia 2022

80 games are now behind us at the 23rd edition of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in Slovenia, as the main round concluded, with eight teams advancing to the knock-out stages of the competition.

We analyse what’s happened and how the future projects with a fine-tooth comb, ready to see the main ideas at this stage in the competition.

The mainstays and the surprises of the quarter-finals

Only four teams from Hungary 2018 are making their comeback to the quarter-finals – Hungary, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. But apart from Angola and Switzerland, the other six quarter-finalists are quite used to being at this stage of the competition. In fact, Norway are now among the top eight teams for the fifth time in six editions, Hungary are here for the 10th time in the last three editions, while Denmark have proved remarkable consistency, placing among the top eight teams of the competition for 15 times in the last 17 editions.

Sweden, the 2013 champions, have sealed a top eight place for the fourth time in seven editions, while the Netherlands side, who has been constantly improving at all levels, made it to the quarter-finals for the third time in the last eight years. The most improbable teams to qualify are Switzerland, who have made their IHF Women’s Junior World Championship comeback, appearing for the first time since 1997, and Angola, whose best finish was the 11th place in 2008.

A chance for a repeat in the final?

Of the eight quarter-finalists, only three teams – Hungary, Norway and the Netherlands – are still undefeated, with the reigning champions the only ones who have secured five wins in the first five matches. Four years ago, in the last edition of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, Hungary and Norway have met in the final and this could likely be the scenario repeating at Slovenia 2022, as the two European powerhouses are on opposite sides of the draw.

Hungary have built an unprecedented 13-game winning streak in modern times, dating back to the previous edition of the competition, as they boast the top attack at Slovenia 2022, scoring 184 goals, 13 more than any other side, for an average of 36.8 goals per game and the top defence, conceding only 81 goals in five matches. They have also steamrolled their opponents, as all their five wins came by a margin higher than 10 goals, with the lowest gap being registered in the last game of the main round when Hungary took a 29:17 win against Croatia.

On the other hand, Norway had to navigate a more difficult side of the draw, facing France, Denmark, the Republic of Korea, Brazil and Montenegro, before being heavily favoured in the quarter-final against Switzerland. With four wins and a hard-fought draw against France, 34:34, the Scandinavian side impressed with their free-flowing brand of handball. Their attack also relies on cooperation, with Norway boasting the largest number of assists in the tournament, 76.

It is entirely possible to see a repeat of the final from four years ago, as Hungary must win against Denmark and the winner of a quarter-final between Germany and Sweden to reach the final, while Norway face Switzerland and could meet the winner of the Netherlands vs Angola game in the semi-finals.

Angola write history for Africa at Slovenia 2022

Not only did Angola secure their best-ever performance at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, but they also clinched the best-ever finishing position for any African side in the competition in history, after reaching the quarter-finals, despite a heavy 20:32 loss against Germany in the last match of the main round. Their 11-goal win against the Czech Republic, 35:24, was paramount in securing their place among the top eight teams at Slovenia 2022 and despite two losses, against Romania and Germany, Jose Chuma’s team progressed to the knock-out phase, now sure of leapfrogging Nigeria, who finished 9th at Nigeria 1989.

The three wins secured by Angola until this phase of the competition are a testament to their superb talent on display at Slovenia 2022, with a mix of speed, creativity, strength and huge handball IQ donning their squad. Centre back Stelvia de Jesus Pascoal has been a mainstay of the team, being both the top scorer – 25 goals – and the largest provider of assists – 15 – in the first five games, followed closely by right back Liliana Mario, who can also feature as a line player, scoring 20 goals.

Playing against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals will surely be a challenge, but Angola need to correct their issues in attack, which can definitely hamper their game. An average of 12 turnovers per game could be an issue, especially as the Netherlands have the largest amount of steals in the competition – 35. Moreover, Angola desperately need to be more disciplined in defence, where they have been, by far, the team with the largest number of two-minute suspensions, 32, nine more than Montenegro and Guinea, who are next in the standings.

Korea and Romania headline the list of disappointments

With the expansion to a 32-team line-up at Slovenia 2022, several teams have secured their worst-ever finish at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, after failing to make the cut for the main round. From the list, that also includes Poland, Brazil, Slovakia and Austria, the most surprising names are definitely the Republic of Korea and Romania.

The Asian side had a chequered record at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, having finished inside the top 10 for 19 consecutive editions. They were not able to celebrate a record 20th edition after falling short of progressing from the preliminary round, with heavy losses against Norway and France, in what proved to be the most challenging group in the competition. The Asian side, who is coached by a legend, Seong Oh Ok, still had their dazzling brand of handball. Yet, their amount of technical faults was too big – 15.6 per game – the ninth-largest in the competition, with their goalkeeping stats – 29.1% saving efficiency – also lacking at Slovenia 2022.

The other unpleasant surprise in the competition was Romania, who were aiming high after finishing fifth last year with this generation at the Women’s 19 EHF EURO 2021. After two wins in their first two matches, Romania had three options against the Czech Republic – a win, a draw or a loss by as many as six goals. They lost that match by seven goals, in dramatic fashion, confirming their regression. Playing against Chile and Mexico in the President’s Cup helped beef Romania’s stats up, but despite their four wins in five matches at Slovenia 2022, the fact remains that they will play their last two games against Slovakia and either the Republic of Korea or Poland for the 17-20 Placement Matches. A total overhaul for the former world champion is needed after dropping from bronze medallists in 2016 to the middle of the pack in 2022.

Uptick checked in the number of goals scored

The new rules, due to be introduced in handball from 1 July 2022, namely a reduction of the maximum amount of passes of the attacking team from six (6) to four (4) after the forewarning signal is shown before a free throw is called and the introduction of a new throw-off area have helped the game’s speed, which has become faster, enabling teams to score more goals at Slovenia 2022.

4,364 goals were scored at Slovenia 2022 in the first 80 matches of the competition, for an average of 54.55 goals per game, the highest in the last in the six editions of the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship. The uptick from Hungary 2018, who saw 52.17 scored goals per game is more than two goals higher, as the record from Russia 2016, 54.53 goals per game, is ready to be topped. Five of the best 10 attacks in the competition are still in the fight for a medal, therefore expect more goals to be scored in the knockout matches at Slovenia 2022.