Hungarian victory in the opening match despite a sleepy start
The opening match of the Debrecen venue was preceded by a great opening ceremony, but the match started better for the Turks in white. In the second half, however, the Hungarian team left their opponents standing. From the 19th minute onwards, the home team did not concede a goal, thanks to Zsófi Szemerey’s saves, and took a five-goal lead into the break. The second half started in a similar way as the first half ended, with the Hungarians increasing their lead. However, the home team’s mistakes did not allow the gap to grow any further, and in the end the nearly 3000 fans in attendance could applaud Hungary’s 30-24 victory. Viktória Győri-Lukács was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Confident Swedish victory against Northern Macedonia
Sweden did not leave their debut match at the European Championship to chance. The 4th place team at the previous World Cup and Olympics did not play like a typical first game even in the first half. In the second half, Swedish captain Tomas Axnér started to rotate the team, but the North Macedonians could not close the gap thanks to their 15-minute goal drought. In the second half of the second period, the North Macedonians scored as many goals as they had scored before. This was reflected in the difference, as Sweden’s fifteen-goal lead in the 45th minute was reduced to ten by the end of the match, 28-18. Nathalie Hagman was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Romania overcame a six-goal deficit to win against the Czechs
The opening match of group B was full of excitement. The Romanian-Czech match was
close in the first few minutes, but then Bent Dahl's team took the lead, thanks to also
Novotna's 64% save efficiency. A little bit of more than five minutes left in the half, the
Czechs led 12-6, but then the Romanians also arrived at the game and produced a 5-1
period, closing the gap to two until the break. In the second half, Bazaliu and her teammates
chased the Czechs for a long time, finally catching them up in the 53rd minute. Then a new
match began. The Romanians, who gained a mental advantage, were able to turn the result
and did not let out the advantage they had gained. Eventually they won their opening game
to 29-28. The Czech goalkeeper, Sabrina Novotna, who made 20 saves, was voted as
Grundfos Player of the Match.
Montenegro won the South Slavic match in Group B
In the other match of Group B, Montenegro met Serbia, where we had to wait until the 7th
minute for the first goal. The following period did not bring a goal duels either, rather
technical mistakes and fouls characterized the match. During this time, however, Montenegro
built a four-goal lead, largely thanks to the good defence. At 6-2, the Serbians called a timeout, after which they managed to close to one goal. But they could not equalize, as
Suzana Lazovic's team switched to a higher pace after their timeout and increased the
difference to three goals by the break. Montenegro quickly doubled their lead at the
beginning of the second half, which they were able to maintain almost throughout. Serbia
only had moments in the second half, and they did not have a serious chance to score at
least a point. Montenegro finally won 24-18, thanks to among others Jaukovic’s performance,
who was also chosen as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Hungary beat Sweden with a perfect match
A fantastic atmosphere and full house awaited the teams at the Főnix Aréna on the second
day of Group A. The Hungarian national team's start to the game reinforced this, as they took
the lead straight away. This was true for the entire first half, the Swedes tried in vain but
could not equalize. In the second half, the Hungarians were able to step up a gear. With Zsófi
Szemerey's saves and wonderful goals they could increase the lead, which was 12 goals in
the 55th minute. However, Sweden fought back to seven goals in the end and the final score
was 25-32. Zsófi Szemerey was awarded as the Grundfos Player of the Match.
After a great comeback, North Macedonia and Turkey ended with a draw
This match was the most important one for both the North Macedonian and Turkish national
teams, as the two head coaches said in the pre-match interview. Although the Turks received
the first goal, they dominated the rest of the half. They built up a four-goal lead, three of
which remained at the break. In the second half, the North Macedonian deficit was as high as
five goals, but not only did the yellow jerseys come back, they took a two-goal lead in the
49th minute. However, the lead didn't last until the end, and the Turks could have led the final
attack for the win, but failed to score. So they shared the points, the final score was 25-25.
Sara Ristovska was awarded the Grundfos Player of the Match.
Montenegro won the first round winners’ match against Romania
In the Group B showdown, Montenegro and Romania clashed. The two winners of the first
round played a turbulent first half. The green-jerseyed Montenegrins started the better, but
Romania came back from five goals down. However, Montenegro then took the lead again
and it increased to four goals by the break. After the half-time break, the Greens never lost
the lead, denying the Romanians”; attempts to catch up at every opportunity. At the end, two
goals remained, Montenegro won 27-25. Dijana Mugoša was awarded as Grundfos Player of
the Match.
Czech Republic beat Serbia in the last minutes of the match
Before the match, both coaches said that this was the first final for them, as the European
Championship would probably be over for the loser. Although the Serbs started better, the
Whites gradually took control and a buzzer-beater from Marketa Jerabková gave the Czechs
a 14-13 lead at the break. The second half was as close as the first. With two minutes to go,
the scoreboard read 24-24, but Ikast’ left back scored twice and an empty-net goal to give
the Czech Republic a 27-24 win. Charlotte Chlevová was awarded as Grundfos Player of the
Match.
Hungary is on the top of group A
In the final round of group A, the Hungarian national team entered the field against North
Macedonia after they have already qualified to the main round. The beginning of the match
brought an even duel, with neither side able to gain an advantage of more than one goal.
Until the 18th minute, when the difference was two for the first time after Ristovska's goal.
After that, however, Hungary managed to turn the result by producing a 3-0 period, which
they did not let go of until the break. The Hungarian national team started the second half in
inspired form and, reaching the halfway point of the half, decided the outcome of the match.
At that point, the difference between the two teams was ten goals, which lasted until the end
of the game. The 29-19 Hungarian victory meant that Vladimir Golovin's players advanced to
the semi-finals with a flawless performance. Nadine Szöllősi-Schatzl, who scored six goals,
was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Sweden advanced with a knockout victory
In the final game of Group A, Turkey faced Sweden, the favourites of this match. The Nordic
team proved their potential, as they were already leading by five goals in the 5th minute. The
Swedish team gradually increased the difference in the continuation, leading by ten goals in
the 24th minute and by thirteen goals at the half time. The game did not change much after
the break, the Swedish team continued to play focused. Thanks to this, in the 38th minute
there were already twenty goals between the teams, which continued to increase. The 47-19
Swedish victory meant that they broke two European Championship records: the most
scored goals and the highest goal difference in a match. Johanna Bundsen, who saved 15
balls and scored 2 goals, was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Romania advanced to the main round in a thrilling match
In the first match of Group B, both the Serbians and the Romanians took to the field in order
to advance. The former needed a larger victory to do so, while the latter, depending on the
outcome of the evening's match, would have been enough to score a point. Accordingly, the
beginning of the match was tight, neither side was able to build a significant lead until the
15th minute. After that, however, the Serbians switched to a higher pace, which has the
result, as they led 15-10 shortly before the end of the first half. The Romanians came closer
to three goals until the break, and then reduced their deficit to one goal at the beginning of
the second half. The continuation brought a similar scenario, as the Serbians first advanced
by four, and then the Romanians reduced it to one. But this time, they turned the result, so
after 1-2, in the 49th minute they had the lead again, which they quickly increased to two
goals. And they didn't let this go, so they could finally celebrate a 27-25 victory, which, as it
turned out later, secured their place in the main round. Angela Stoica, who scored five goals,
was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Montenegro reached the main round with a flawless performance
After the Romanians' victory, the Czech Republic entered the evening match with a need to
win in order to advance, while Montenegro could have done with a minor defeat. The first ten
minutes brought inaccurate play and a total of six goals, which were shared equally by the
teams. This was followed by a seven-minute goalless period, which was broken by
Montenegro, who quickly increased their lead to three goals. The Czechs scored again after
a quarter of an hour thanks to Jerábková, but they were unable to score another goal times
in the rest of the half. Montenegro took advantage of it and went into the break with a 12-4
lead. Montenegro didn't play well at the beginning of the second half, so the Czech Republic
managed to close the gap to 13-9. But that didn't last long, as Bent Dahl's team produced
another six minutes goalless streak. During this time, Montenegro increased its lead to nine
goals and almost decided the main part of the clash. In the end, Suzana Lazovic's team won
28-21, thus advancing to the semi-finals with a flawless performance. Armelle Attingré, who
made ten saves, was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Smooth Swedish victory after a tight first half
In the first match of the main round in Debrecen, the Swedish team met the Poles, who sent
home the Spaniards. At the beginning of the match, two-minute penalties fell more frequently
than goals. After three minutes, only one goal was scored in addition to three penalties.
Fortunately, this ratio was reversed in the continuation and beautiful solutions came to the
fore. At that time, it seemed that the Swedes would easily win the match, as they quickly
gained a four-goal lead. However, after the Polish timeout, the picture of the game changed,
and Poland caught up their opponent at 7-7. The rest of the half was close, with neither side
able to gain a lead of more than one goal, except for the last minute. At that time, Bundsen
scored two empty-net goals, so Sweden led 17-15 at the break. At the beginning of the
second half, Tomas Axnér’s team performed quite well and by the 44th minute had pretty
much decided the main part of the match. At that point, the Nordic team had an eight-goal
lead, which they were able to maintain until the end of the match, thus celebrating a 33-25
victory. Jamina Roberts, who scored six goals, was awarded as Grundfos Player of the
Match.
Romania made things difficult for France
In the second match of the day, France played against Romania in Debrecen. Despite the
French starting the match well and quickly taking the lead with three goals, the Romanians
could equalize halfway through the half. After that the French team switched to a higher gear
and led by Kanor, pulled away again, to which Constantin Pera’s students were unable to
respond for the rest of the first thirty minutes. France led 12-9 at the break, which they
increased further at the beginning of the second half. But Romania was able to gradually
work off its five-goal deficit, so everything started all over again in the 42nd minute. The rest
of the game brought a close clash, once the score was tie, once France had the advantage.
This is how the teams turned to the crunch time, where Nze Minko and her teammates took
advantage of Bazaliu’s 2-minutes suspension and built a four-goal difference by the 55th
minute. The Romanians did everything they could to score at least a point, but the French
team did not assist them and thanks to their greater experience, they eventually won their
first game in Debrecen easily, 30-25. Chloé Valentini, who scored six goals, was awarded as
Grundfos Player of the Match.
The Hungarian national team remains flawless
In the evening match, two group winners, Hungary and Montenegro faced off. At the
beginning of the match, the Hungarian national team had a hard time due to Montenegro’s
defence and Rajcic’s performance in the goal. Suzana Lazovic’s team took advantage of this
in attack and after six minutes they led 6-2. In the continuation, the Hungarians played
increasingly effective handball, and their defence also came together, which had the result.
Vladimir Golovin’s team turned the game around by producing a 6-0 period. The Hungarian
national team, playing in front of the home crowd, further increased the difference until the
break, after Kuczora’s goal, the scoreboard was 16-11. The first fifteen minutes of the second
half brought a fluctuating performance. First, Montenegro closed to three, then the
Hungarians stepped forward again with six. The following period was mainly about Szemerey
and Attingre, both goalkeepers made more and more beautiful saves. During this time, the difference did not change substantially and turning to the last minutes, only the exact final
result was a question. The Hungarian national team finally won against Montenegro 26-20.
Zsófi Szemerey, who made 15 saves, was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Romania stayed up, leading all the way to beat Sweden
In the match between Romania and Sweden, the first goal was scored by the Blues, but
Romania quickly took the lead. The first half saw six goals between the two teams, with the
Reds leading 10-4 and 12-6. The teams went into the break with a 12-8 Romanian lead. At
the beginning of the second half, the Swedes could not get any closer to their opponents.
However, after Alisia-Lorena Boiciuc’s disqualification, the Nordics came back and equalised
in the 56th minute through Olivia Löfqvist. Then came the winning move from Florentin Pera,
Raluca Kelemen came into the goal and stops every Swedish attempts to win the match for
Romania. Bianca Bazaliu was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match.
France moves closer to semi-final with a clear win against Montenegro
The battle of the two group-winner started better for France. By the end of the third minute,
they were 3-0 up and they kept increasing their lead. To add to the first half’s chronicle,
Orlane Kanor was disqualified for a foul on Tatjana Brnović. After that, the Montenegrins
managed to close the gap, with 15-11 on the scoreboard at the break. The second half
started better for the Whites, who increased their lead after a seven-minute complete goal
drought. After the 50th minute, the Montenegrins were nine goals down on several
occasions, but in the end the crowd of just over 2000 spectators could applaud the French
victory 31-23. Laura Glauser was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Hungary beat Poland with a stunning game
At the beginning of the match, the almost three thousand spectators witnessed an interesting
scene, as Greta Kácsor got sick between the two anthems and had to go to the bench.
However, this did not disturb the Hungarian national team, as they started the match much
better than their opponents. The home side in red shirts had the lead throughout and by the
break the score was eight between the two teams. By the 36th minute the Hungarian team's
lead had grown to ten goals, but the Poles closed to seven with a 3-0 run. However, this
didn’t faze the Reds, who scored again after a timeout by Vladimir Golovin, and by the 45th
minute the score was back to 10 goals between the two teams. After that, the difference was
between nine and eleven goals and the final score was 31-21. Petra Vámos was awarded as
Grundfos Player of the Match.
Montenegro kept their Vienna dreams alive against Poland
The clash between the Montenegrin and Polish national teams started better for the white-
whites. The match started with a shootout between Monika Kobylinska and Djurdjina
Jauković in the first minutes, but overall the Poles started better. In the 20th minute, Magda
Balsam was disqualified after hitting Armelle Attingre in the head with a penalty. The Blacks
then managed to catch up and went into the break with a fair 14-14 draw. In the second half,
the Montenegrins again started the stronger, but the Poles turned it around. But Suzana
Lazović’s players did not give up and took the lead again, which they did not relinquish until
the end. The final score was 30-28. The eight-goal Djurdjina Jauković ended the game with a
third two-minute suspension, ending the game with a red card, but that did not change the
final score, 30-28 for Montenegro. Tatjana Brnović was awarded as Grundfos Player of the
Match.
Hungary secured their spot in the semi-final against Romania in front of a full house
The Hungarian national team played Romania in front of more than 4,000 spectators in order
to qualify for the semi-finals in Vienna. In the first minutes of the match, the sides were neck
and neck. After a goal by Viktória Győri-Lukács, one team led by more than one goal in the
20th minute, at 9-7. From then on, the home team in white did not let the lead slip away until
the end of the match. The five-goal lead at half-time, 20-15, was increased early in the
second half. The biggest lead was eight goals, which was restored by the end of the game,
despite the fact that the gap between the two teams was not that big throughout the half.
Katrin Klujber, who scored ten goals, was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match.
France won against the Sweden, the two semi-finalists of Group I are determined
Although Sweden led by a goal in the first few minutes, the beginning of today’s third match
of Group I France took the lead. Already in the 16th minute they reached a six-goal
difference, which was still on the scoreboard at the break (19-13). The game remained the
same in the second half. The Blues dominated and the lead was steady between eight and
five goals. Around the 40th minute, a major attempt by the Swedes to catch up was repelled
by the French, but Tomas Axnér’s team tried again in the last ten minutes. However, the
game proved too short for that, four goals remained in the lead. With a final score of 27-31,
France will travel to Vienna for the semi-finals with Hungary. Estelle Nze Minko was voted as
Grundfos Player of the Match.
Romania did not seize the opportunity
In the first match of the last day, Romania met Poland, where the Romanians still had a
chance to book a ticket to Vienna against the Poles. However, they had to win first. In
contrast, in the first quarter of an hour of the match, Constatin Pera’s team were just chasing
the result, and they first took the lead in the 14th minute. After Urbanska’s red card, the
Romanians were able to increase the difference further, but only one of the three-goal
advantage they had gained at that time remained at the break, so they could expect the
continuation from 11-10. The beginning of the second half brought an even game, until the
45th minute, when Ostase collected her 3 rd 2-minutes suspensions, after which the Poles
managed to take a five-goal lead. They didn’t let this out, and in the end, they won 29-24
against Romania, which meant that neither team advanced from the main round. Dagmara
Nocun, who scored five goals, was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
France won the battle of the undefeated
The Hungary-France match decided the first place in the group. At the beginning of the
game, the Hungarians played inaccurately and missed many chances, which the French took
advantage of and built a four-goal lead by the 8th minute. After Vladimir Golovin’s timeout,
Hungary closed the gap to two several times, but they couldn’t get any closer. Moreover,
France stepped up again with four. However, after the second Hungarian timeout, the picture
of the game changed completely, Szemerey made several saves, and the Klujber and her
teammates shooting efficiency improved up front, which paid off, as the scoreboard was 13-
13 at the break. The second half started similarly to the first, with the only difference being
that the French started the half with a 3-0 lead. The Hungarians did everything they could to
equalize, but this time Nze Minko and her teammates did not assist to it and kept their
advantage until the end of the match, which they won 30-27. This meant that France finished
first and Hungary second in the main round in Debrecen. Katrin Klujber, who scored nine
goals, was awarded as Grundfos Player of the Match.
Sweden booked their ticket to Vienna in the last match in Debrecen
Debrecen and the Főnix Arena said goodbye to the 2024 Women’s European Championship
with the Sweden-Montenegro clash, where the third place of the group was at stake.
Accordingly, the match started closely and neither side was able to gain a lead of more than
one goal. Until the 12th minute, when the Swedish team outscored their opponents by
producing a 3-0 period. Suzana Lazovic called a timeout with a four-goal deficit, which had a
positive effect on her team, as they caught up their opponent until the break under the
leadership of Grbic. After the 14-14 half, Sweden was able to build a bigger lead again, but
Montenegro came back this time as well, thanks to Jaukovic’s goals. The teams went into the
crunch time with tie result, which would have been good for Raicevic and her teammates. But
Roberts scored, which Montenegro could have responded to several times but could not.
Sweden’s 25-24 success meant that the Nordics booked their ticket to Vienna, where they
will play for 5th place. Djurdjina Jaukovic, who scored nine goals, was awarded as Grundfos
Player of the Match.