SUMMARY: German, Romanian wins throw group II open on dramatic night
Group II of the Women's EHF EURO 2022 main round has started in Skopje on Friday, with Germany clearly beating Netherlands (36:28) in the first match, before Romania earned a last-second 28:27 win over Spain thanks to a stunning buzzer-beater. The four teams are now all level on two points.
22:49
Here are Friday's group II results...
... and look what they mean for the group II standings: Both Germany and Romania earn their first two points, which means four teams are now level on two points, behind group leaders France and Montenegro with four each, and who have also a match outstanding.
22:41
Pure, raw emotions. This is what you get when you Play With Heart:
22:32
What a story... and what an important goal for Romania and for group II as a whole. Here is the match review from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu in Skopje:
It was lucky, but it was our luck. We have three games here, anything can happen.
22:01 RESULT | ROMANIA VS SPAIN 28:27 (12:11)
Ohhh, Bianca Bazaliu! Spain equalises for 27:27 in what looks like the final attack. But with one second on the clock, Bazaliu just fires a rocket from halfway down the Spanish half of the court to give Romania a last-gasp 28:27. Sensational finish!
21:51
Contrary to tonight's first game, this one is going right down to the wire. Four minutes left, and all square at 25:25.
21:38
As long as this EHF EURO lasts, we keep enjoying these strikes from Cristina Neagu:
21:29
Nine minutes into the second half and we are back level: Romania 15, Spain 15.
21:06 HALF-TIME | ROMANIA VS SPAIN 12:11
Romania look like having this game under control; yet they lead by only one, after a last-second strike from Lara Gonzalez closed the gap for Spain to just one goal.
Let's hear from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu in Skopje for his half-time thoughts:
"Spain have thrown some wildcards in the game, forcing Romania to rethink their approach almost from the gun. An ultra-aggressive defence, a 5-1 and 4-2 hybrid, saw Cristina Neagu taken out of the game, but it enabled Romania to force passes to line player Crina Pintea, who was nothing short of amazing, converting her first five shots, totally dominating the attack.
There is no surprise that Romania are leading at the break, 12:11, but they would have surely wanted a bigger lead, as Spain finished the first half with a 2:0 run, with Romania scoring only once in the last six minutes and 38 seconds.
This is a game on a knife’s edge and could be crucial for Spain’s chances of progression to the semi-finals. Win and they are in the mix, lose and Romania have a chance at least for a spot in the 5/6 Placement Match. It will be a very interesting game in the second half, so stay tuned, because Spain will not back down. It is in their DNA to fight until the end."
21:03
Team timeout Romania. Head coach Florentin Pera talks very calmly to his players. So far, his tactics are working: Romania lead Spain 12:10.
20:46
New goalkeeper Nicole Wiggins is having a good start to the game but can't prevent Spain from dropping behind (7:5 at the moment) against Romania.
20:26
Romania and Spain share a rich history, having played 16 matches against each other in the past. Romania lead the head-to-head by 16-5 and won three of the last four encounters. However, their most recent duel went to Spain: at the 2019 IHF World Championship in Japan, Spain won as big as 31:16 – and went on to reach the final.
20:20
Well, what a start to group II we have seen: an eight-goal win for Germany over Netherlands. What is the second going to bring us? Romania and Spain throw off in 10 minutes in Skopje.
20:16
Carnaval scenes in Skopje:
It's really crazy. We were angry after the first matches but we cane here and we wanted to start from zero. We fought together, played with speed, and stood very good for granted.
19:32 RESULT | NETHERLANDS VS GERMANY 28:36
What a win! Germany have stepped up their level significantly compared to their group phase campaign. They were excellently prepared for their opponents and, after a difficult start, executed strongly. It leaves their semi-final hopes intact, now joining the disappointing Dutch on two points. Team captain Alina Grijseels the guiding (and scoring!) player.
19:27
Katharina Filter is closing shop again behind the strong defence. What a team performance from Germany.
19:13
Handball is a team sport. Sometimes, not so much and you can do it all on your own:
19:10
Team timeout Netherlands. Head coach Per Johansson must do something here. Germany are still well ahead, 27:23, going into the last quarter, not letting the Dutch get into any kind of rhythm.
18:59
It remains a fierce battle after the break. High pace but lots of misunderstandings, sloppy passes, and technical faults. Germany briefly opened a five-goal margin (21:16), meanwhile the Dutch have closed the gap a bit: 22:19.
18:44
With some excellent saves like this one, goalkeeper Katharina Filter has a hoge contribution to Germany's substantial half-time lead:
18:37 HALF-TIME | NETHERLANDS VS GERMANY 13:17
Netherlands were off to a flying start, but once they were three goals up, it all collapsed. Germany taking a deserved four-goal lead into the dressing room, leaving their opponents a mountain to climb.
Let's hear from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu in the arena in Skopje:
"Germany entered the main round with zero points, after some disappointing results at the end of the preliminary round. But they truly delivered their best performance in the first half in any of the matches they played so far, tying their largest number of goals scored in the first 30 minutes by the 18th minute.
Left wing Johanna Stockschläder and the preliminary round’s top scorer, Alina Grijseels, each scored four goals in a fiery match, that saw plenty of suspensions, nine in total, which underlined just how much the two teams want to win.
Netherlands, who have not been down four goals in the first three matches of the tournament, find themselves in a very tough spot. Their attack has not been up to par, while their goalkeepers have only saved four shots, combining for 19% efficiency. At least one of these departments need to pick up the pace, because Germany are leading 17:13 at the break."
18:35
Germany's defence standing rock-solid and not allowing much, while scoring almost all opportunities. It is 17:13 in this must-win game for them.
18:26
Germany have gradually gained control of this match. Now leading by two (13:11) coming from three down (8:5). Great goal, though, from Bo van Wetering earlier:
18:17
A quarter into the match, and all square in Skopje: 10:10 – after Netherlands were 8:5 up but Germany replied with a 4:0 run.
18:07
5:3 Netherlands within five minutes. We could be in for a real goal treat if they keep going at this pace.
17:45
It could become a record-setting evening for Laura van der Heijden. The right back is already the Dutch player with the most caps and the most goals for Netherlands at EHF EURO tournaments, but she is currently sharing both best marks.
Van der Heijden has played 38 matches, just as many as right wing Debbie Bont. And she has scored 114 times (16 of which have come at the current tournament), just as many as left back Estavana Polman.
However, Van der Heijden won't bother too much about all those stats tonight, if the Dutch don't beat Germany...
17:32
It feels like Netherlands and Germany are always running into each other at EHF EUROs. Six times they have met, including at five of the last six editions. Und guess what? Both have won three of these encounters.
Overall, however, Netherlands have won five of their last six duels since 2017. And the one time Germany won – at the 2019 IHF World Championship – it didn't hurt the Dutch too much: they went on to become world champions.
17:20
We are 40 minutes away from the first match in group II of the main round.
And what a game that is: Netherlands against Germany! Always a big occasion, but especially today. Germany sneaked through their preliminary round and arrived in Skopje with zero points in their luggage. That means: another defeat against Netherlands tonight, and any semi-final hopes would be dashed already.
13:56
As we continue with our women in sport series, we must emphasize the female referees. Seven female referee pairs were nominated for the Women's EHF EURO 2022 ❤️, and one of them is Marta Sa from Portugal, who officiates matches together with her twin sister Vania Sa.
12:21
A walk down memory lane with Dutch goalkeeper Tess Lieder, who was still playing under her maiden name Wester when she did THIS in the closing minute for Netherlands against Germany the last time they met at an EHF EURO.
Not in the the Dutch squad this time due to her pregnancy, Lieder will not be on court tonight when the rivalling neighbours meet again in Skopje.
11:30
Half past 11, here you go with the Stat of the Day by data analyst and journalist Julian Rux:
11:02
Netherlands against Germany is a special match-up in any sports. And Romania against Spain is a guarantee for a fiery battle. Here is the preview of tonight's matches from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu in Skopje:
10:47
The main round got off to an interesting start in Ljubljana on Thursday, where Slovenia had another home-crowd pleasing performance to beat Croatia 26:18. In the late game, Denmark left it late to get past Hungary: 29:27.
One of the decisive moments of that tight latter match was this save by Sandra Toft:
10:15
Good morning to the Women's EHF EURO live blog!
A day after the action started in Ljubljana, the main round continues in Skopje with the first matches in group II, which include the six teams that advanced from preliminary rounds C and D. Four of those teams take the courts tonight:
