Romania claim hard-fought victory in opening game against Brazil
19 Jun. 2024

Despite a slow start, Romania claimed their opening win at the IHF Women's Junior World Championship 2024, defeating Brazil in dramatic fashion, by the slightest of margins, 26:25.
GROUP A
Romania vs Brazil 26:25 (13:13)
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, it was Brazil who dominated for long stretches of the first half, as Romania entered the fray as the bronze medallist from the W19 EHF EURO 2023. The South Americans defended well, punished their opponents' mistakes and took a 6:2 lead after eight minutes.
Players such as Eduarda Borges and Ana Dos Santos were efficient in attack and helped Brazil extend their lead to 10:5 by the middle of the first half. However, Romania then improved their defence and went on a 5:0 run, driven by four goals from left back Diana Maria Lixăndroiu.
In the final minutes of the second half, both teams alternated the lead, so that the 13:13 score at the break seemed only logical – and gave both opponents the chance to start the tournament with a win.
And it was Romania who got into their stride after the restart. In the first half, the Europeans used two goalkeepers, Teodora Diana Neagu and Ioana Niţă, but they were unable to shine. Ana Maria Cristea was in goal after the break – and she had a much greater impact. She finished the game with 10 saves and an efficiency of 45%.
Central defender Alisia Boiciuc also came to the fore, scoring several goals and helping Romania to make it 22:17 in the 42nd minute. But Brazil continued to fight and managed to reduce the deficit to one goal with four minutes remaining (24:25).
Romania still led 26:25 with 30 seconds remaining and after a timeout by their coach, Boiciuc failed to score, giving Brazil the chance to equalise. However, Dos Santos' shot was blocked and the Romanians were able to celebrate as they had taken an important step towards the main round.
Boiciuc and Lixăndroiu were together responsible for 19 of Romania's 26 goals, scoring 11 and eight times respectively. Brazil's top scorer was Lorenna De Souza Santos with seven goals.
Alkaloid player of the match: Diana Lixăndroiu, Romania