Netherlands survive Romania comeback to earn win

GROUP C
Netherlands vs Romania 29:28 (14:12)

• the Netherlands had a 7:2 run between the 36th and 44th minutes, with left back Kelly Dulfer, the Player of the Match, scoring three times in that span, but Romania fought back to 25:25 seven minutes before the end
• Dutch right back Laura van der Heijden scored seven goals, being her team’s top scorer, becoming only the second Dutch player in history to hit 100 goals at the EHF EURO, after Estavana Polman
• Netherlands clinched their fifth win in a row against Romania in all competitions and the second one with a one-goal difference, after the one last year at the 2021 World Championship, 31:30
• Romania’s captain and the all-time goal scorer of the EHF EURO, left back Cristina Neagu, had an off evening in Skopje, scoring only three goals from the 11 shots she had, improving her overall tally in the competition to 267 goals
• with this result, Romania tied their worst-ever losing streak at the EHF EURO, five games in a row, which was set at the EHF EURO 1998, when the team finished 11th

Romania continue their losing streak at the EHF EURO

It was a heartbreaking loss for Romania, who mounted a superb comeback and erased a five-goal deficit late in the second half, but the Dutch side won thanks to their superior experience and good calls in crunch time, taking advantage of Romania’s missing, key of which was line player Lorena Ostase.

Unfortunately for Romania, their worst-ever streak at the EHF EURO, five losses in a row, dating back to the EHF EURO 2020 was tied, with Romania winning only one game from their last eight.

They will surely need more from their back line, who scored only 13 goals from the 28 shots they had, facing France and North Macedonia in crunch matches over the next four days.

Per Johansson (SWE), Netherlands coach: “At the start of the game, we put pressure on them, played some good defence, but it was Romania’s game after this, they created a lot of problems for us. Buceschi and Grozav made life a hell for our players. I am extremely happy that we took these two points, we had a good grip on the game, but Romania came back. This was an extremely tough game and we were a bit lucky in the end.”

Florentin Pera, Romania coach: “It was a very tough match, a very good match, I am proud of my team, because they did not give up. We had a lot of problems before this match, with many injuries. But we bounced back and I am satisfied about how we fought today, we did not give up. In the first half, we missed some key shots, the second half was better, our attack was changed. We found some good solutions and our wings played very good. We fought until the end and this match gives us a good feeling for the next matches.”