Hungary prevail against Romania to remain perfect

Hungary kept their momentum rolling in Main Round Group I, weathering several Romanian surges and producing a late decisive run to secure a 34:29 win and strengthen their position in the quarter-final race, while Romania are as good as out of contention for a place in the next phase.

Main Round, Group I
Hungary vs Romania 34:29 (18:16)

A very interesting match from the opening whistle, filled with strong plays and good goals. Hungary held a slight early edge, maintaining a one-to-two goal lead throughout the first ten minutes. Their advantage came from smart reading of Romania's defence, they consistently drew defenders out of position, opening empty spaces for easy Hungarian goals.

Romania, on the other hand, struggled offensively, especially from the right wing, with only centre back Elena Roșu scoring more than twice during their early deficit. Between the ninth and fifteenth minute Romania couldn't score at all and with Zsófi Szemerey in form, Hungary used that stretch to break away to 9:5. And the numbers spoke for themselves as Hungary were at 75% attack efficiency, Romania at just 42%.

Hungary's defence added even more problems for Romania, who often failed to break through. Only SorinaGrozav managed to make an impact, whether with outside shots or well-timed assists. The change in goal gave Romania a breath of stability as Bianca Curmenț entered, stopping Hungary from pulling further away and opening the door for a comeback. Her saves dropped Hungarian efficiency to 58% by the end of the first half.

In the 24th minute, Asma Elghaoui narrowed the gap to 12:14 as Romania pushed quick throw-offs, trying to score as fast as possible. It worked for a good stretch, keeping them in touch every time Hungary restored a four-goal lead, eventually cutting it to 18:16 at the break.

It took Hungary five minutes after the restart to score, and while Romania had multiple chances to finally level, they failed to convert each one. Still, they kept the match tight and in the first ten minutes of the half Hungary's biggest lead was three.

Romania struggled with missed shots, but their connection with line player Lorena Ostase worked beautifully, her goals keeping them afloat. However, Hungary found their way back into a scoring run, piercing through Romania's defence and by the 53rd minute the gap was back to five (30:25).

Still, Romania refused to let go and came down to 30:28 within four minutes, hoping for a late turnaround. But poor passes and errors, combined with Kinga Janurik's saves, pushed them back. Hungary broke away once more at 32:28 and practically sealed the deal. Katrin Klujber's seventh of the day set the final score at 34:29.

With the win, Hungary opened the door to the quarter-finals wide, now sitting on a perfect record with six points. Romania remain on the two they carried from the group phase and will need to redeem themselves against Senegal and Switzerland in the next matches, but their chances for the top-8 are only virtual.

hummel Player of the Match: Petra Tóvizi (Hungary)