The XX Women’s World Championship has reached the crucial stage: On Friday 16 December the four top teams from Europe will face each other in the semi-finals – aside the placement round 5-8 will start. Those games are not only decisive for this tournament, but also for the composition of the Olympic Qualification Tournaments, played 25 – 27 May 2012. If European Champion Norway will not become World Champion, the fifth ranked team is also organizer of one of those tournaments. If Norway will become World Champion, then the remaining three semi-finalists France, Spain and Denmark are the hosts of those tournaments.

 

The All-European semi-finals will see four teams, being at the top of the world for some or for many years – with different success. Aside in the placement round four teams from three continents compete for the positions – including defending champion Russia, African champion Angola and Pan American champion and WCh host Brazil.

 

Preview on the semi-finals:

 

France vs. Denmark (17:15 local time)

Six victories and one surprising defeat against the host is the balance of the French players in Brazil. The team of Olivier Krumbholz – the father of all French successes since 15 years – surprisingly clashed defending champion Russia in the quarter-finals. With Krumbholz as coach, the French team collected three medals at previous World Championships: Gold in 2003 and each Silver in 1999 and 2009. Krumbholz had built up a complete new team, with full focus on the usual French strength, the defence. “This was the key to success against Russia,” Krumbholz said: “And this should be the key against Denmark.” But the last World Championship match against the Danes was a bitter 16:24 defeat for France in China in 2009.

 

Now thhe French team misses an important player in their defence: Mariama Signate got injured in a training session in the beginning of this week. In contrary to this, Danish coach Jan Pytlick has even to replace eight player of the squad, which had reached the fourth place at the European Championship 2010. “We never expected to come so far with this young team,” Pytlick said. His team is the only one, which have won all their seven matches in Brazil up to now.  But the three times Olympic Champion (1996, 2000, 2004) was close to fail in the eight-finals against Japan, as they were below with three goals three minutes before the end. But thanks to a final catch-up chase and the goals of Trine Troelsen before and during extra-time, they managed to proceed and proceeded without any difficulties with Angola. “In the previous years we played really well against France, so we hope for the final, though we know that France has the best defence and one of the best attack sides in the world,” assistant coach Kim Jensen said. The Danish hopes and dreams are high, as the dominant women’s handball nation of the 1990’ lacks success in the last years: The last title they won was Olympic Gold in 2004, in 2007 Denmark they even missed the qualification for the World Championship and the Olympics 2008. The Danes won their last World Championship title in 1997 in Germany and reached their last WCh semi-final in 2005.

 

Norway – Spain (20:00 local times)

Seven World Championship medals (including Gold in 1999), four Olympic medals (including Gold in 2008) and five titles at European Championships (including four straight since 2004) – this is the medal cabinet of Norway. On the other hand there’s only one Silver medal from the European Championship 2008 for Spain – after losing the final clearly against Norway. This is the constellation of the second semi-final. But even though the statistics put Norway in a clear favourite role, coach Thorir Hergeirsson is aware: “Spain is a really tough opponent. Everything can happen.” Norway took six victories in Brazil including two easy and clear knock-out stage wins over Netherlands and Croatia. But the Olympic Champion had to struggle hard to win their Preliminary Round group after an opening defeat against Germany. But by winning with a one-goal gap against Montenegro, they secured the first position. Coach Hergeirsson cannot count on his top team in Brazil, as Gro Hammerseng (pregnant), Tonje Larssen and Nora Mörk (both injuries) are missing. But still he can count on extremely well educated players with the typical Norwegian will to win. Current top star is pivot and counter attack specialist Heidi Löke, who decided the eight-final and the quarter-final nearly on her own. But Hergeirsson does not estimate his team as the Gold favourite: “We have a new and young team, and we are still in the improving period. But of course we want to reach the final.”

 

His Spanish counterpart Jorge Duenas has surprised the experts, as the Iberian roller coaster is on the clear way up again: After Spain became Silver medalist at the EURO 2008 and ranked fourth at the World Championship 2009, they failed at the 2010 EURO, ranking only on eleventh position. But on club level, national champion Itxako reached the EHF Champions League – and most of the national team play for Itxako.  Top star of the team is playmaker Marta Mangue – and in Brazil goalkeeper Silvia Narro and the wing players Pinedo and Martin showed brilliant performances like the complete defence. “We had reached our most important objective – to qualify for the Olympic Qualification Tournaments – now we want more,” coach Duenas said. By qualifying for the semis, Spain is already host of one of those tournaments – like their men’ team after having reached the Bronze medal at the 2011 World Championship.

 

Placement matches:

 

Russia vs. Angola (11:45 local time)

Croatia vs. Brazil (14.30 local time)

Two absolutely disappointed teams – defending champions and host Brazil – now try to finish this tournament with victories and the fifth place. The Russian defeat against France was a surprise, and the entire Brazilian handball family shed tears after having been eliminated in a Hitchcock thriller by Spain.

 

The constellation is quite tricky: Brazil is already qualified for the Olympic Games as the winner of the Pan-American Olympic Qualification – and Angola can reach a direct ticket to London, too, by winning the African Championship in January 2012. In this case – and if Norway will not become World Champion – Russia and Croatia will fight for the right to organize the third Olympic Qualification Tournament, due to their final ranking in Brazil.