The first day of the 5-8 Placement Matches starts the final weekend of games at Poland 2018.

 

In the two all-European ties, EURO W17 champions Germany take on Spain, while Netherlands look to bounce back from a 10-goal quarter-final loss when they play Denmark.

 

All games will be streamed live HERE, IHF referee and officials nominations HERE.

 

Day One: 5-8 Placement Matches - Saturday 18 August, Hall Legionow

All times local
 

Spain vs Germany 1230 hrs

Whatever the result in this one, Germany will finish tomorrow with their second highest-ever ranking at this level, after a second-place finish in 2014, while for Spain, they can equal theirs – fifth was gained in 2008 and 2010.

But for the Germans, Poland will be verging on a disappointment, after they failed to get to a podium match following their W17 EHF EURO last year in Slovakia.

German left back Aimee von Pereira was named as the most valuable player there while Anna Lena Hausherr was the best left wing, so Germany definitely have the weapons to cause problems for Spain, who, after an indifferent preliminary group campaign, warmed up nicely before being dispatched clearly by Hungary in the quarter-finals (33:20).

For Germany, the pain will still be strong, and they will have had to work hard to forget the pain of a 30:29 defeat against Korea in their quarter-final, to adjust their focus on finishing fifth.

Janna Sobrepera Casol tops the Spanish scoring charts with 37 goals, while Von Pereira has 33.

Netherlands vs Denmark 1500 hrs

While both teams go into this match determined to get back to winning ways following their quarter-final losses, the Dutch may be the ones who feel they have more to prove after they failed to showcase their best game in their 27:17 loss to Sweden.

Denmark’s loss was closer – 29:25 to Russia, but they will be just as determined to play for 5/6th place and they are fighting to avoid their lowest-ever position in the IHF Women’s Youth World Championship.

After finishing as runners-up in the last edition, back in 2016 and in the previous five grabbing two golds and two bronzes. The one remaining event – 2010 – meant a sixth-place finish and that is the lowest position Denmark will finish if they win this first round of 5-8 placement matches against Netherlands.

The two teams actually played very recently, in March in a friendly tournament, with Denmark defeating Netherlands and the Danes were sixth at EHF EURO W17, while the Dutch finished 10th.

But the Netherlands, arguably, are fighting for more. After not qualifying through to the 2016 edition, they have only managed a bronze in 2010, their clear highest ranking and if they were to finish fifth, it would be their second-highest finish.

Key Dutch player Larissa Nusser, in a twist of irony, has flown back to Denmark to join back up with her club Kobenhavn Handbold after she had been brought in as a replacement in the Poland 2018 squad for the injured Lisanne Kruiswijk.

“Larissa was able to strengthen our team for a number of matches,” said Netherlands coach Ricardo Clarijs. “She added value in such a short time, both on and off the court.”

With 43 goals, Nikita Van Der Vliet is the top-scorer for Netherlands at Poland 2018, but she was kept quiet against Sweden and will hope to make more of an impact today.

You have to go down to 30th in the top-scoring chart to find Denmark’s leader – Emilie Bodholdt Steffensen on 29.