Czechia earn first points after well-fought win

For the fourth time in history, Czechia registered a win at the start of the IHF Women's World Championship, taking a clear 32:22 win against Congo, in spite of a few mishaps.

GROUP H
Czechia vs Congo 32:22 (19:11)

Compared to Spain 2021, when Czechia earned a hard-fought 24:21 win against Congo, two years later, the European side had a more convincing outing against their African counterparts, in their maiden match at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023.

Congo's motivation was boosted after Czechia failed to score with their first three attacks, allowing the African side to take a 3:1 lead. It took seven minutes for Czechia to find their momentum and start showing the game their coach, Bent Dahl, who made his debut in a major international competition for his side, had envisioned. From trailing by one to a four-goal lead, Czechia turned the game on its head, using a 5:0 unanswered run.

Veronika Malá and Charlotte Cholevová led the attack as fast breaks were the main reason why the European side created a bigger gap. Congo closed the first half with only 44 per cent of converted shots, as they could not break the pattern of mistakes they had previously set. Cholevová was Czechia's lynchpin for yet another milestone in the first half, netting her eighth goal for a ten-goal lead (19:9).

The feel of a good game was interrupted two minutes before the break when Kamila Kordovská stumbled on a Congo player and suffered a serious injury. As a result, you could see the nervousness of Czechia's players and Bent Dahl felt like he needed to call for a time-out with the words “we now have to play even better”. No matter the will, Czech players were clearly shaken and earned three consecutive suspensions.

The bad luck was even harder for Czechia, with Veronika Malá leaving the court with another injury, as the European side lost two players in less than 15 minutes. At the same time, only Sharon Lea Dorson seemed to find a way to the Czech goal and Congo had to wait for another ten minutes to welcome their second goal. The “culprit“ was a Czechia's young goalkeeper, Sabrina Novotná, who stopped four Congo attacks in a row, bolstering an 80 per cent save efficiency after only a short time between the posts.

The young Czech team was able to keep their lead, thoroughly dominating the court despite Congo finding a new hero - Betchaidelle Ngombele. The left back became Congo's top scorer after finishing five attacks in a row successfully, scoring 50 per cent of her team's goals in the second half. Right before the final whistle Charlotte Cholevová secured a clear 32:22 win, netting her 11th goal in the game.

Starting the world flagship competition with a win is a great step for Czechia's primary goal - the main round berth, as they have edged closer to it. In the next round, Czechia will virtually seal it if they beat Argentina, while Congo face another challenging task ahead, facing former world champions, the Netherlands.

hummel Player of the Match: Marketa Jerabkova (Czechia)