With both places at the 2016 Olympic Games already allocated to Romania and Montenegro following their victories on Saturday evening, the two top sides in Aarhus meet to decide who will win the Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament II table.
The second match of the evening sees hosts Denmark meet Uruguay with only consolation points remaining.
Sunday 20 March in CERES Arena, Aarhus
Montenegro vs Romania 17:45 local time
Fans in Aarhus are in for a treat with a thrilling 60 minutes anticipated when Montenegro take to the court against Romania on the last day of Olympic Qualification matches.
While Montenegro gave themselves a name as one of the best teams in the world when they experienced a run of success in 2012, including the European title and a silver medal at the London Olympics, Romania are fast showing they are one of the main teams to watch over the coming year with recent results including a bronze medal at the 22nd IHF Women’s Handball World Championship, a clear win against world champions Norway only a week ago, and two strong victories so far in Aarhus.
Montenegro cannot be considered an easy opponent for Romania, but the Denmark 2015 bronze medallists should have the edge and be able to finish their Olympic Qualification campaign strong with a win here. As coach Tomas Ryde says however, Montenegro are unpredictable.
“Montenegro have the best defence in the world. We know them very well – Cris [Cristina Neagu] is playing with Buducnost and we spent one week together with them in October,” says the coach.
“The team have a very high difference in performance – they outperform Hungary at the World Championship and then suddenly lose games.”
The question then is whether Montenegro will continue the form that helped them defeat Denmark on Saturday, or whether they will find a superior opponent in rampant Romania.
Denmark vs Uruguay 20:00
Both Uruguay and Denmark come into this match with two consecutive losses behind them, knowing the tickets to Rio 2016 belong to their tournament opponents.
The Pan American side, who are competing in their first Olympic Qualification Tournament, will face a big challenge in trying to keep pace with the tournament hosts, but will be sure to put up a brave fight with a focus on gaining experience throughout the 60 minutes.
Denmark will be looking to put in a strong performance to finish their home tournament on a high. After a solid game against Montenegro which will have restored some of the confidence lost against Romania, the home team should manage a comfortable victory in the final Tournament II match.
Photos: Jan Christensen