GROUP C
North Macedonia vs Netherlands 15:30 (9:17)
- the co-hosts succumbed once again to their trademark issues to start the game, as the Netherlands took a 6:1 lead after only seven minutes, with goalkeeper Yara ten Holte making five saves for an 83% saving efficiency
- after posting a 25% attacking efficiency in the first match against France, North Macedonia did not improve much against the Netherlands, finishing the game with only a 23% saving efficiency
- the Netherlands conceded the second lowest number of goals in a match at the EHF EURO, only two goals shy of their record set against Ukraine, 13 goals, at the EHF EURO 2010
- the co-hosts lost their fifth game in a row at the EHF EURO, only one game shy of their worst-ever losing run, six games, between December 2006 and December 2008
- no team has scored only 29 goals in their first two matches in the preliminary round at the EHF EURO before North Macedonia, with 14 goals against France and 15 against the Netherlands
Ten Holte's wizardry in the Dutch goal
In the first match against France, North Macedonia scored their first goal after more than 15 minutes and by that time, the reigning Olympic champions were already 5:0 up. The story repeated itself, albeit with a caveat, as North Macedonia needed only four minutes to score their first goal against the Netherlands. But Per Johansson’s side was already 6:1 up after seven minutes, so the game was virtually over.
It was a constant struggle for North Macedonia, as goalkeeper Yara ten Holte saved 10 shots for a 42% efficiency, including four one-on-one saves against her opponents, with the co-hosts lacking both the clarity and the focus to try and salvage something from that match.
In their last match for the first place in the group against France the Netherlands will have to pay more attention, protect the ball better and improve their overall game.
