In the clash for the top place in Group H, the Netherlands came on top after a spectacular second half performance against Czechia, 33:20. This is the fourth time in their 12 appearances at the IHF Women's World Championship the Netherlands finished the group phase as the first-ranked team.

GROUP H
Netherlands vs Czechia 33:20 (14:8)

After Czechia's blistering start, the Netherlands used a 4:0 unanswered run to take over the lead (4:2) and could have widened the gap even more, but goalkeeper Petra Kudláčková built a wall between her and the goal, helping her side stay in the match.

Despite her top performance in the goal, Kudláčková could not assist her teammates in the attack and this is where Bent Dahl's suffered, as the sheer number of technical mistakes hampered any Czech progress. The biggest shift to the momentum of the match was another goalkeeper, this time on the Dutch side, Yara Ten Holte, who had a massive last ten minutes of the first half, bringing her overall halftime percentage to 53%.

The Netherlands built on that form to create a new three-goal, run almost leaving Czechia without an answer, with Czechia scoring only four goals in the last 11 minutes of the first half, as the Dutch side created a six-goal lead at the break, 14:8.

After the restart, the Czech attack looked revitalised, improving their efficiency to 50%. As the Dutch defence loosened up, left back Marketa Jerabkova finally welcomed her first goal in the game, after being excellently marked in the first half by the Dutch defence. Only a few moments later, Jerabkova's third goal narrowed the gap to 16:20 and it looked like we had a game on our hands.

However, Czechia's focus dropped mid second half, as another 4:0 unanswered run for the Netherlands sealed the deal. Propelled by Nikita Van Der Vliet and Bo Van Wetering, who ended the game with five and seven goals respectively, the Netherlands hit the first double-digit lead in the 51st minute. Nothing changed until the final buzzer, with the Dutch side taking their third double-digit win at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, 33:20.

In this all-European duel, the Netherlands earned the important win as they are starting the main round with four points, which could be crucial for progressing to the quarter-finals. The ambitious Czechia is going to the next stage with two points earned after defeating Argentina, the third team from Group H which made the main round. They will all clash with the top three teams of Group G - first-ranked Spain, second-best Brazil and Ukraine.

hummel Player of the Match: Yara Ten Holte (Netherlands)