Norway continue Christmas tradition and move into final weekend

Since 2010, Norway have appeared in eight editions of the IHF Women’s World Championship and only not made the semi-finals once – a fifth place finish in 2013.

During this period they have won three gold and two silver medals and recorded one fourth place, the minimum they will now reach at Germany/Netherlands 2025 after beating European rivals Montenegro 19:11 in the final game of the championship in Germany.

Norway now head to Rotterdam, Netherlands for two games to decide if the retiring Katrine Lunde will end her career in her national team shirt with one final medal.

Quarter-Final
Norway vs Montenegro 32:23 (19:11)

After Germany confirmed their final four place in the early match, you could be forgiven that the sell-out 10,522-capacity Westfalenhalle would be a little emptier for this clash but this was not to be the case.

Just one Henny Reistad rocket pass away is the home stadium of football team Borussia Dortmund and tomorrow night (Wednesday 10 December) they happen to be playing Norwegian men’s football champions Bodø/Glimt.

And the Norwegian players could not believe their eyes when lining up for their national anthem as around 800-1,000 fans decked out in their yellow and black kits – the same as Dortmund – belted out the Norwegian song and then continued chanting throughout the match, including numbers from one of the masters of Norwegian folk music, Halvdan Sivertsen.

With the songs flowing off of the court, the players promptly responding by showcasing their depth and skill, breaking clear of the Montenegrins already in the 12th minute (7:3) through Anniken Wollik, seven minutes later Maren Aardahl increased it even further (13:5) and the game was over as a contest. 

Montenegro did not score their first until just short of the five-minute mark, already 4:0 down as the Norwegian defence, led by the battling Aardahl and supported by Lunde and later, Eli Marie Raasok

Despite this, Norway continued at their level which is way above any team seen in Dortmund in so far, and it will be fascinating to see them move to Rotterdam and face a different test.

This game was a celebration of all things Norway and a perfect send off for Ole Gustav Rjekstad and his team as they look to conquer another tournament.

The result means that Montenegro’s trophy cabinet is still missing a world championship medal, but their top eight place will satisfy coach Suzanna Lazovic as she embarks on the new Olympic cycle with a team full of potential.

hummel Player of the Match: Henny Reistad (Norway)