The quarterfinal matches

Spain - Sweden 22:24 a.e.t. (19:19, 10:10)

Already the first quarterfinal match turned out to be a thriller. Spain and Sweden had to play overtime to reach a decision. After 60 minutes, the result was a draw (19:19). The match itself was as balanced as the result. Even though Sweden was leading the game 19:16, they suddenly couldn’t score a single goal during the last eight minutes. Spain equalized and could thus accomplish an overtime. Nevertheless, after 70 exciting minutes, it was Sweden who took the victory (24:22). Best scorer of the game was Melania Falcon from the Spanish team with six goals. Sweden reached the semifinals and will play against the Netherlands.
 


Norway – Denmark 26:23 (15:14)

The Norwegians decided the Scandinavian duel and celebrated their victory against the World Champion of 2006. By defeating the Danes 26:23, they paved their way for the semifinals. The Norwegians were leading already after 24 minutes with a clear 14:8 and dominated the match. But the Danes fought back and went into halftime with a score of 14:15. In the second half, the Norwegian women extended their lead again and kept a permanent three-goal lead. Best scorer of the game was the Danish player Louise Burgaard with eight goals, whereas Marie Henriksen and Heide Bakkerud were the best Norwegian scorers with five goals each. In the semifinals, Norway will meet France.



France - Russia 31:23 (12:12)

Quite surprisingly the French team goes to the semifinal after the match against Russia. They defeated the defending champion and World Cup favorite 31:23. In the first period, the match was clearly open and mainly determined by two strong defensives. In the second half, the French women rolled over a powerless Russian team. The final phase brought the final decision in a high-class match. Between the 53th and the 58th minute, the French team made it from 23:20 to a 30:21 lead. Audrey Bruneau again was the outstanding player of a compact French team and scored seven goals. France will now play against Norway in the semifinals whereas Russia is playing the placement matches for the places five to eight.
  


Netherlands - Dominican Republic 28:24 (15:14)

The Netherlands complete the field of the four semifinalists of the Women’s Youth World Championship in the Dominican Republic. With a hard-fought 28:24 win against the host, the Oranje team won the last quarterfinal and is now, after this performance, one of the favorites for the title. For 45 minutes, the team from the Dominican Republic seemed to be able to go for a sensation. The Dominican team – frenetically supported by 500 enthusiastic fans – made it even until the interim of 19:19 (45th). But in the end, they lost their power. At the score of 24:19 for the Dutch team, the game was decided. Best scorers of the match were Tamara van der Pijl of the Dutch team and Mariela Andino of the Dominican team, who both achieved eight goals.
The Netherlands will clash Sweden in the semifinals. The host will play the placement matches for the places five to eight.
 
 
 

The placement matches
 
Places 9 – 12

Hungary - Korea 28:29 (18:14)

With a difference of only one goal, Korea won the match against Hungary and qualified for the ninth-place play-off against Angola. The Korean team only led twice in this game: 1:0 at the beginning and 29:28 seven seconds before the end. The Hungarians had everything under control during the rest of the match. But Korea came up with a furious finish and achieved the decisive winning goal scored by Kim Mingyeong. Best scorer was the Hungarian player Eszter Toth who scored eight goals. Hungary will play against Uruguay in the eleventh-place play-off.
 


Angola - Uruguay 28:26 (10:12)

In the first play-off for the places nine to twelve, the Angolans won 28:26 against Uruguay. In a balanced match, the Africans set the tone in the second half and finally were the well-deserved winners. Best scorer of the Angolan team was Sara Luis with eight goals, whereas A. Colamonici scored ten times for Uruguay.
 
 
 
Places 13 – 16
 
Germany - Japan 32:29 (17:12)

Germany defeated Japan 32:29 and will now play the thirteenth-place play-off. However, this success was a tough piece of work. After a good first half and a successful start to the second half of the match, the Germans were leading 18:12 after 32 minutes. But then they lost their concentration, so that Japan turned the match around and gained the lead (25:24) in the 49th minute due to a 7-meter throw taken by Yukari Ikki. After this wake-up call, Germany scored six goals in a row (30:25 after 55 minutes). Nevertheless, the Japanese fought hard and reduced the goal difference to 28:30 one minute before the end of the match. But it was too late for them and Germany took the victory. Yukari Ikki was Japan’s best scorer (nine goals); E. Minevskaja scored seven times for the Germans who will play their next match against the winner of the match between Brazil and Kazakhstan, Japan against the loser of the aforementioned game.
 
 

Kazakhstan - Brazil 31:41 (19:19)

Brazil won their first placement match against Kazakhstan 41:31 and will meet Germany to compete for the 13th place. Brazil struggled against newcomer Kazakhstan during the entire first half of the match. Only after the break, the South Americans finally woke up and took a clear victory. Best Brazilian scorer was Juliana Araujo (ten goals). L. Yevgeniya from Kazakhstan also scored ten goals. Kazakhstan will play against Japan for the 15th place.
 


Places 17 – 19

DR Congo - Thailand 32:29 (12:12)

After the victory against Thailand, DR Congo will compete for the 17th place. The Africans defeated Thailand 32:29 and will now clash the team from Argentina in their last World Championship match, which had reached the 17th place play-off without playing due to the cancellation of the Ivory Coast. The match between DR Congo and Thailand was in general very balanced. The halftime result of 12:12 also reflects the course of the match during the first 30 minutes. Only in the middle of the second half, DR Congo pulled clear of their opponents and extended their lead from 23:20 (48th minute) to 27:20 (51th minute). They decided the game and achieved their first victory at this Women’s Youth World Championship. Best scorer of the game was Julie Betu Mvita (DR Congo) with ten goals.