A vintage first-half performance lifted Sweden past Germany, helping the Scandinavian side to seal their second semi-finals berth in history at the IHF Women’s World Championship, with a clear 27:20 win.

QUARTER-FINALS
Sweden vs Germany 27:20 (16:6)

On paper, it looked like the Sweden vs Germany tie was going to be the most balanced quarter-final at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship. Instead, a flawless performance in the first 15 minutes of the match lifted Sweden to a clear win, as Tomas Axnér’s side was virtually perfect to create a 7:0 lead.

After only eight minutes and 56 seconds, Germany was forced to take their first team time-out, as coach Markus Gaugisch was understandably disappointed with the disjointed performance from his team, which failed to score a goal and was leaking heavily in defence.

By that time, Sweden were already 4:0 up and extended their run to 7:0, as Germany scored their first goal through captain Emily Bölk after 14 minutes and seven seconds. With goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen saving shots from all positions – six for a 100% efficiency until Bölk’s goal – Sweden were all but assured the win, thanks to their start.

Finally, Germany showed some life, but Gaugisch used his second team time-out in the 20th minute, when the gap was still fixed at seven goals, 11:4, but could not prevent Germany scoring only six goals after 30 minutes, the second lowest output in history in a quarter-final at the IHF Women’s World Championship, with the record still held by Germany – three goals against Austria at Denmark/Norway 1999.

With a 16:6 gap at the break, Sweden were cruising and with a potential semi-final against France on Friday at the horizon, it was high time for Axnér to hand some more time to the players which did not feature so prominently so far in the competition, which prompted a Germany comeback in the start of the second half, after a 3:1 run.

Some more saves from Bundsen, the hummel Player of the Match, who finished the match with 15 saves for a 43% saving efficiency, helped Sweden keep control of the match, even if Germany tried their mightiest to attempt a comeback. By the 12th minute in the second half, Markus Gaugisch’s side tied their output from the first half, and cut the gap to only six goals, 19:13, but it was too little, too late, paying tribute to their performance from the first minutes.

Eventually, Germany could only manage to cut the gap to seven goals, 27:20, as Sweden not only opened an edition of the IHF Women’s World Championship with seven wins in a row, they also registered seven wins in a single edition of the world handball flagship competition for the first time in their 12 appearances.

Sweden have now made it to the semi-finals of the IHF Women’s World Championship for only the second time in history, after missing out on the chance by conceding losses in their previous two quarter-finals at Japan 2019 and Spain 2021.

The co-hosts, which follow another of the hosting countries, Norway, into the semi-finals, will face France in the penultimate act of the competition, with a chance to get into the title fight for the first time in history, while Germany are now heading to the Placement Matches 5/8, also due to be played in Herning.

hummel Player of the Match: Johanna Bundsen (Sweden)