The final placement match prior to the medal duels at the Women’s Junior World Championship in Croatia ended in an unexpected clear way on Sunday (13 July): The French team clashed the uninspired and powerless Romanians by twelve goals.

 

Placement match 5/6: France - Romania 31:19 (15:8)

Romania seemed feeble and lacked spirit, passion and ideas, resigning highly early, while France celebrated a true feast at lunch-time in Koprivnica. After an equal start (3:3) France scored six straight goals without any rear up of the Romanians, which failed with series of shots against the solid rock French defence or goalkeeper Catherine Gabriel, who had replaced Deborah Dangueuger after an early head shot. And what nobody could know in this early stage: this 9:3 already meant the final decision on the victors.

Romanian coach Sevistean Popa rotated his team on all positions, but he could not stop the downswing, while on the one hand the French back court led by top scorer Tamara Horacek could score from all cylinders or the counter attacks ended in easy goals. So the well-deserved advance at the break was seven goals, as Romania seemed to be already on their way home.

And nothing changed in the second half. Romania were uninspired, France did not do more than they had to - but this was enough to be ahead by the first double figured result at 20:10 in minute 40 and to easily keep this clear distance until the final whistle. Romania were counting the minutes, praying that this free French lesson would come to an end. And if France would not have missed a huge number of 100 percent chances the final result would have even been much more painful for the semi-finallist of the 2012 Women’s Youth World Championship.