Netherlands take derby win

GROUP 1
Luxembourg vs North Macedonia 23:28 (12:14)

The match in Luxembourg finished with North Macedonia securing their third win of the qualifiers, thereby taking their points tally on the group 1 table to six — but not yet booking their place at the final tournament. In what was the penultimate international match for long-serving Macedonian wing Goce Georgievski, who has played for the side since 2007 and scored the final goal of the game, North Macedonia set themselves in the best position possible ahead of their crucial round 6 match against Türkiye.

The game was the first for new Luxembourg coach Maik Handschke. It may not have ended with the result Handschke hoped for, but it was still Luxembourg’s best showing in the qualifiers, with goalkeeper Mika Herrmann standing out with his 13 saves and Loic Kaysen leading with 10 goals for the home team. On North Macedonia’s side, Filip Taleski top-scored with eight goals.

In the tight first half, North Macedonia had a lower shooting percentage than Luxembourg, but took more shots to be able to create their lead. The match stayed close, with some one-goal distances up to the 45th minute, but after that Luxembourg could not keep up and North Macedonia pulled away to the final result.

GROUP 5
Belgium vs Netherlands 23:28 (10:17)

The round 1 fixture between Belgium and the Netherlands had ended with the Dutch taking the narrowest of wins over their neighbours — just one goal. But it was a different story in the reverse leg of the derby on Wednesday night, as the Netherlands left absolutely no doubt with a commanding result in their favour, despite resting key stars.  

The outcome was already clear at half-time, as the Netherlands held a seven-goal lead after powering through the first half. Aside from the opening few minutes, the score was never close. By the 20th minute, the Netherlands had hit an eight-goal advantage, 13:5, and when they stayed in front 20:13 10 minutes into the second period, it was clear the trajectory of the match would not change.

In attack, the Netherlands were led — unusually — by Rutger Ten Velde, who netted 10 goals. Usual leading attackers Luc Steins and Kay Smits did not contribute much, indicating they were being rested for the upcoming critical clash against Greece in round 6, which will decide the qualification fate for the Dutch. In goal, Bart Ravensbergen was superb, stopping 21 shots at a huge rate of 47 per cent and making Belgium’s task that much harder.

Photos © Alain Decamps