The 2016 IHF Women’s Junior (U20) World Championship eighth-final stage saw eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, while another eight left the court disappointed to be knocked out of the running for the title at Russia 2016. 

Those eight teams now enter the court to determine ninth to 16th on the final ranking, with Spain taking on Brazil, the Netherlands meeting Hungary, Argentina playing Japan and France versus Angola. 

CSKA Palace of Sport, Tuesday 12 July
Placement match 11/12: Spain vs Brazil 14:00 local time

It is difficult to imagine anything but a win for Brazil at the final whistle, as the Pan American team have shown themselves to be one of the most determined teams on court at Russia 2016 – and they will likely be ready to show what they can do after losing their eighth-final to Norway by seven goals. 

Spain recorded a greater loss in their eighth-final against Sweden, scoring only 13 goals with a final score of 29:13 in favour of the Scandinavian team. Their attack is not quite as strong as Brazil’s, who can count on some key impact players such as Mariane Fernandes and Bruna De Paula – both of whom have had little trouble against any team’s defence, and should therefore be able to play a vital role against Spain. 

Placement match 9/10: Netherlands vs Hungary 16:15 local time

Both these teams come into the play-off on the back of disappointing one-goal losses in their eighth-final, though Hungary must be suffering more when reflecting on their game against Croatia than the Netherlands. 

The Netherlands trailed behind Germany for most of their eighth-final, but played a level last 15 minutes to eventually concede defeat in a match where the half-time deficit proved crucial in the outcome. They were therefore not as close to the quarter-final stage as Hungary, who led throughout their game until Croatia equalised in the 58th minute then created a one-goal lead. Hungary had the chance to equalise and send the match into extra time but the penalty opportunity was missed, and Croatia celebrated while Hungary left the court in disbelief. 

The outcome of this game will largely depend on who can recover faster – both mentally and physically – from their tough eighth-final encounter, and which team can use their previous defeat to add motivation to end their Russia 2016 campaign on a high. 

Sport Palace Dynamo Krylatskoe, Tuesday 12 July
Placement match 15/16: Argentina vs Japan 14:00 local time

The chance that Argentina or Japan went into their eighth-final expecting a win was slim given their opponents, with Argentina coming up against the Russian Federation and Japan playing their crunch match against Romania. But while Argentina could not come close to eliminating Russia, finishing the game with a 21:30 deficit, Japan were heartbroken at their final whistle to lose by only one goal scored in the last 20 seconds. 

Japan’s performance against the team who are largely formed by members of the 2014 IHF Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship-winning squad was exceptional, and would indicate that if they can recover from what was a visibly sad end to their eighth-final they should be able to defeat Argentina. 

Placement match 13/14: France vs Angola 16:15 local time

This match should be an interesting contest given the results of these teams so far. Both made their way to the eighth-final stage as the fourth-placed teams in their respective groups, and both recorded losses in their difficult eighth-final matches. 

France were defeated by the current European champions in this age category, Denmark, while Angola lost by just two goals against 13-time Asian champions Korea. It would seem that Angola will therefore enter the game with a little more confidence than the European side, but whether that will be enough to record a win can only be determined in the 60 minutes on court.