The Netherlands kept their unbeaten status and confirmed their quarter-final spot with an important 29:21 win against Spain, thus eliminating 'Las Guerreras' from Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 and sending Czechia among the top eight teams. The Dutch side has now won the group, having six out of six in the competition, as they move for the knockout phase to Trondheim.

Main Round
Group IV
Netherlands vs Spain 29:21 (13:9)

The rematch of the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship final delivered a top-notch game for the fans in the last main round match in the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn. Only a win or a draw could have seen Spain through, while their opponents did not have pressure on their heads, but a loss would have meant falling on the second place.

'Las Guerreras' started the match with a 3-2-1 defence that initially proved to be a tough challenge for the Dutch side. With two straight fast breaks, as well as two suspensions for Dutch defensive mainstay Yvette Broch in four minutes and 30 seconds, Spain caught a 4:2 lead early on. Just four minutes later, the Netherlands used a 4:0 unanswered run, powered by yet another outstanding outing from goalkeeper Yara Ten Holte and her three straight saves at 60% save efficiency.

Spain shifted back to 6-0 defence and this prevented the Dutch side to score for six minutes, but in attack, Spain's turnovers hampered any potential progress, leaving the door open for the Dutch side, which expertly navigated those minutes.

The goal drought ended with Zoë Sprengers' first goal in the game and soon enough the Netherlands propelled to a five-goal lead (12:7). Spain, with only 40% of converted shots in the first half could not ask for more and went on a break with a 9:13 deficit, with their dreams and ambitions in tatters.

The Netherlands had a fiery start to the second half. First, a 2:0 unanswered run prompted Spanish head coach Ambros Martin to call for a time-out only three minutes in but his words: “What are we doing, we are better than that?” were not proven on the court. Netherlands used another decisive 3:0 run to leave Spain trailing by seven (11:18).

The Spanish nightmare continued, as their overall attack efficiency never went above 50% and with 15 minutes until the end of the match, the Netherlands hit the first double-digit lead in the game (22:12). With the win in their hands, the Netherlands had all their players taking their shots on the court. Changes were also in the goalkeeping department, as Yara Ten Holte, who had ten saves at 45% save efficiency after 40 minutes played, was replaced by Rinka Duijndam, who came between the posts and closed the day with another two saves.

Zoë Sprengers shone for the Netherlands with six goals and received the hummel Player of the Match award. In their unfortunate defeat at the end of their Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023 journey, Danila Patricia So Delgado-Pinto and Mireya Gonzalez Alvarez were Spanish top scorers with five goals each.

This will be the sixth time the Netherlands to find their spot among the top eight teams, while Spain failed to secure their sixth and are out of the quarter-finals for the first time since 2017, as Czechia sealed through to the knockout phase, due to their superior head-to-head record against Brazil and Spain. Bent Dahl's side had a +5 goal difference, followed by Brazil (+1) and Spain (-6), as all teams were level on points.

hummel Player of the Match: Zoë Sprengers (Netherlands)