Romania opened day two of matches at Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament II in Aarhus with a win against Uruguay before Montenegro defeated Denmark, securing the two victorious teams places at the 2016 Olympic Games.
With both Tournament II’s tickets to Rio 2016 now confirmed for Romania and Montenegro, Denmark and Uruguay bow out of the Olympic race.
Saturday March 19 in CERES Arena, Aarhus
Romania vs Uruguay 36:19 (17:10)
Both teams started with aggressive defence that made it difficult for either side to play their best in attack, leading to an even score of 2:2 after five minutes. But it was not long before Romania began to play with a higher tempo as Uruguay struggled to keep pace.
As the first half progressed the Romanian defence began to resemble a tall yellow wall as Uruguay unsuccessfully looked for space to break through or shoot. Their defence combined with fast break goals to put the score at 12:6 in favour of the European team after 20 minutes of play. Florina Chintoan (nine goals) was key in creating the lead for Romania, scoring seven goals from seven attempts in the first half.
Though Romania head coach Tomas Ryde had opted to rest key players including Cristina Neagu and Valentina Ardean-Elisei in anticipation of his side’s dominance, the score board did not make it clear that such stars were missing. Romania pushed through to half-time to hold a seven-goal lead at the whistle.
In the second half Romania did not let up while Uruguay tried different defensive systems – none of which could stop their opponents from finding the goal. When Romania moved to their first 10-goal advantage at 20:10 five minutes into the second period, it was clear there was only one way for the match to end.
Uruguay fought bravely to the end of the game, producing some great goals, but Romania’s defence kept the Pan American team on a short leash. With 10 minutes left Romania retained the 10-goal lead at 26:16, before they steamrolled home to a 17-goal victory.
Player of the Match presented by adidas: Florina Chintoan (ROU) Line Player
Denmark vs Montenegro 22:26 (10:13)
CERES Arena in Aarhus was filled with excitement from almost 3,500 spectators when Denmark took to the court for their must-win match against Montenegro.
The Danish home crowd did their best to help their team against powerful Montenegro, but the 2012 European champions seemed unaffected and the score board showed a level 5:5 after 11 minutes.
Both teams played at a high tempo and favoured shooting from a distance, but Montenegro made the fewest mistakes and were able to sneak ahead to a narrow advantage at 7:6 midway through the half. Denmark received three two-minute suspensions as the first period came to an end and Montenegro took full advantage of the situation to build a three-goal lead by the break.
In the second half Denmark came out strong and quickly closed the gap to one goal at 13:14, but Montenegro fought back and the level contest continued. With 13 minutes left of the game the score was even at 19:19.
Denmark goalkeeper Rikke Poulsen made some important saves in the second half, giving the home team momentum toward the end of the match. But as Denmark tried to take control Montenegro keeper Marina Rajcic also contributed crucial saves.
Through the last 10 minutes each goal counted and every error was punished, and it was Montenegro who kept their cool and capitalised on their chances. Inside the last 10 minutes Montenegro took the lead again and slowly pulled ahead to finish with a four-goal advantage.
Player of the Match presented by adidas: Milena Raicevic (MNE) Centre Back
Photos: Jan Christensen