Only Hungary and Sweden stay perfect at W19 EHF EURO 2023

• reigning champions Hungary confirmed their excellent run in the Younger Age Category events by securing three wins in their group – 30:29 against France, 32:26 against Serbia, and 28:20 against Norway – to start the main round with two points
• Sweden are the other side to have clinched three wins – 34:16 against Croatia, 35:31 against Switzerland, and 27:24 against Netherlands – and will also start the main round with two points
• Portugal will also be starting the main round with two points, courtesy of their win against Romania (36:30), which saw them secure both the best start ever at a W19 EHF EURO and their first top-10 placement in the competition
• hosts Romania threw off the competition with a 41:33 win over Iceland, then lost 36:30 against Portugal, but bounced back against Germany to clinch a 35:30 win, progressing to the main round thanks to a better goal difference (-1) than Germany (-3) in a three-way tie with Portugal
• Denmark’s left back Julie Mathiesen Scaglione is the top scorer of the competition so far with 32 goals, with a six-goal lead over Portugal’s right back Luciana Rebelo and seven goals over Switzerland’s centre back Oceane Meier
• Portugal and Romania, which scored 106 goals each, are the top two attacks in the competition, closely followed by Denmark, with 104 goals
• the main round throws off on Tuesday, with Group I having Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland and Romania, while Group II will pit together Hungary, Denmark, Montenegro and France
• 1,423 goals have been scored so far, for an average of 59.2 goals per game – by far the highest figure in the history of the competition

Tough games expected in the main round

24 games have now been played at the W19 EHF EURO 2023 and there has been no shortage of drama for the teams involved, with some of them needing last-gasp wins to progress to the main round, while eight others will continue in the intermediate round, having no chance to play for the title.

Group B was the most balanced one, with three teams finishing with four points. Portugal and Romania progressed thanks to their superior goal difference. Germany were left out due to their 35:30 loss against Romania in the last game, with an exceptional second half from the hosts, which delivered the necessary win to progress.

The most decorated team in the history of the competition, Denmark, will start the main round with one point, after their draw in the last game of the preliminary round in Mioveni, 29:29, against Montenegro, with another flawless game from left back Julie Scaglione, the top goal scorer of the competition so far.

Hungary are still in the hunt to seal three titles in a row, displaying some impressive handball and boasting an impressive depth, while conceding the second-lowest number of goals in the competition, 75.

The best defence at the W19 EHF EURO 2023 is still Sweden, with only 71 conceded goals. The Scandinavian side is primed to make the semi-finals for the second time in a row, after winning three games out of three, before facing Romania and Portugal in the main round.

The eight teams through to the main round have already secured their ticket for the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in North Macedonia, since the 13 best-ranked teams from the W19 EHF EURO 2023 will qualify.

The competition runs through to Sunday 16 July and all matches are live streamed on EHFTV.

photos © Marius Ionescu, Mihai Nitoiu