Norway, Netherlands go for gold at Women's World Championship
Norway, Netherlands go for gold at Women's World Championship
The Netherlands are looking at their best result in handball history following their emphatic 30:25 win against Poland in the semi-final of the Women's World Championship in Denmark on Friday.
No matter whether they actually beat current EHF EURO and Olympic champions Norway, so far Netherlands have never won a medal at any major handball championship.
Norway reached the final on Sunday by battling down Romania, who had previously beaten defending champions Brazil as well as hosts Denmark, 35:33 after a extra time.
Netherlands came out like a storm in their semi-final against Poland and had already carved out a 15:8 lead at the break. Poland then tried to bounce back in the second period, but the closest they got was within four goals.
The second semi-final between Norway and Romania was a much hotter contested affair.
Norway had led 17:14 at the break, only to suddenly find themselves trailing 21:23 with 10 minutes left on the clock. After 60 minutes the score stood at 27::27.
In extra time Norway exploited a two-minute suspension to Romania to go ahead 30:28 and eventually defended that lead until the end.
The final will take place on Sunday, 20 December at 17:15 hrs local time; the bronze medal match between Romania and Poland throws off at 14:45 hrs.
For more information on the Women's World Championship visit the IHF's website as well the official tournament web presence.
Photos: Jan Christensen courtesy of DHF
