Are Hungary on their way to another World Championship title this summer? The Under 18 squad opened the 2018 Women’s Youth World Championship quarter-finals with a 13-goal win over Spain that proved they are a powerful force to reckon with on court in Kielce, qualifying for the semi-finals for the first time in history.

The second quarter-final in Hall Legionow was a completely different story, with European champions Germany and Asian champions Republic of Korea playing a tight 60 minutes that ended with a one-goal win for Korea, secured in the last seconds before the buzzer. 

Quarter-final: Hungary vs Spain 33:20 (14:11)

Hungary reached the Poland 2018 quarter-finals with only wins in their account, but there was a sense that they had yet to use their full power – and on Thursday night it became clear that that was the case, as they put on an incredible show against Spain. The pace was very quick from both teams from the start, but Hungary were immediately stronger. The Women’s 17 EHF EURO 2017 bronze medallists scored three unanswered goals before Spain made their way onto the score board.

Spain managed to fight their way back to equalise at 6:6 at the end of the first quarter, but they simply could not keep the same pace as the deep Hungary squad. Goalkeeper Ines Suarez Martinez-Gandia played a key role as Spain stayed within reach until the end of the first half, with some great saves. However, there was no stopping Hungary in the second 30 minutes.

The European championship bronze medallists were relentless, punishing every attacking error from Spain with a fast-break goal and playing efficient positional attack that resulted in a shooting percentage of 72%. Player of the match Kira Banfai was particularly effective, scoring seven goals on seven attempts. Spain also had trouble at the other end of the court, losing possession in attack and allowing Hungary to score easy counter-attack goals. When Hungary reached a 10-goal lead, 25:15 in the 50th minute, the semi-final ticket was long decided.

Players of the match:
Hungary: Kira Banfai
Spain: Ines Suarez Martinez-Gandia

Quarter-final: Germany vs Republic of Korea 29:30 (13:15)

As they so often do, Republic of Korea shocked their European opponents with their speed immediately. The Asian champions raced ahead to a 5:1 lead in the eighth minute, when Germany coach Maik Nowak was forced to use his time-out card for the first time. In defence, Germany’s 6-0 was not enough to stop Korea’s agile footwork. At the other end of the court, Korea’s offensive defence, which continuously changed from 3-3 to 6-0 and even to 1-5 as Germany moved the ball through their attacking line-up, was very difficult for the European side to beat.

At the end of the first quarter, when Korea held a 9:5 advantage, three of Germany’s goals had been scored from the penalty line – indicating just how difficult it was for them to convert from positional play. Slowly, Germany found the way to beat Korea’s defence, and closed the gap to reach a distance of two at half-time and play a much closer second period.

The European tried different defensive tactics in the second half, while Korea often used seven-on-six, taking out goalkeeper Dahee Yeo. Germany worked hard and came within one more than once. The final five minutes saw Korea steadily in front by one to two goals, with Germany always just out of reach of the equalising goal.

The last minute was highly emotional, beginning with the score at 28:29. Germany goalkeeper Charley Zenner saved a crucial shot that allowed Laetitia Quist to level the game with just over 10 seconds remaining. But Korea were quick to restart and Yejin Yun scored the winning goal with no time left for Germany to answer.

Players of the match:
Germany: Leonie Kockel
Republic of Korea: Soyoun Park