Netherlands and North Macedonia claim Women’s 17 EHF Championship trophies

For the first time ever, the Netherlands won the Women’s 17 EHF Championship, with a 25:19 victory against Serbia in the final of the event in Georgia. In the other group of the Women’s 17 EHF Championship, played in Lithuania, North Macedonia capped off an impressive week, with a narrow 27:26 win against Iceland.

The Dutch side had a perfect week in Georgia, winning the competition in emphatic fashion after dominating all the sides against which they played.

It was a handball masterclass from the Dutch, who won the group phase with an impressive 141:30 goal difference after a 28:10 win against Ukraine, a 55:11 victory against Georgia and a 51:9 win against Luxembourg, with a 10:0 walkover against Greece completing the card.

Their first important try came against the Faroe Islands, against which they won 24:21 in the semi-finals, before taking a superb 25:19 win against Serbia in the final.

In the bronze-medal game, the Faroe Islands secured a 35:27 win against Ukraine, to win their first medal in the competition.

Faroe Islands’ Lukka Arge won the top scorer award, with 33 goals, tied with Ukraine’s Valeriia Nesterenko.

In the competition played in Lithuania, North Macedonia overcame a hiccup in the group phase, where they lost against favourites Spain, to lift the trophy.
 

The Spanish side won the group with four wins, including a 27:24 victory against North Macedonia, but were defeated by Iceland in the semi-final 31:32 in an exciting game.

The North Macedonian side won their semi-final 25:22 against the previously unbeaten Poland to set up a final against the Icelandic side.

The final was another close-call game, as North Macedonia’s Teodora Dukoska inspired her side with an 11-goal outing, which proved to be decisive.

Iceland had a two-goal advantage (15:13) just after the break, only for the Macedonian side to comeback and seal the win (27:26), as Emilijana Rizoska added four goals in the last 10 minutes.

In the bronze-medal game, Spain won against Poland 26:24 after a penalty shoot-out to secure the medal.

Visit eurohandball.com to know more about the events. 

Photos: EHF