W19 EHF EURO intensifies as main round begins

The 24 best W19 national teams from across the continent were split into six preliminary round groups of four teams, with only the top two in each advancing to the main round.

Each pair of advancing teams has been partnered with another successful duo to form three more groups of four teams in the main round, with the result from the preliminary round match being carried over. Therefore, each team will play two matches in the main round; one today and one tomorrow. All matches will be broadcast live on EHFTV.

The action began on Wednesday afternoon in three venues around the Montenegrin capital. The host nation began with a 36:31 victory over Lithuania in group B, after Denmark had beaten Iceland 31:25 in one of the tournament's three opening matches. That would set the tone for the group, as it would be Denmark and Montenegro who advanced, with the Danes taking top spot.

They will now be joined in group G by Czechia and Hungary, who got the better of Poland and North Macedonia in group A. Czechia's 28:24 win over Hungary means they take two precious points into the main round.

Serbia find themselves in a great position as they enter the main round – their five-goal win over Sweden in group C means they begin group H on two points, one point clear of Germany and Spain, who drew 29:29 in the battle for first place in group D. Switzerland and Finland in group C, and Romania and the Faroe Islands in group D saw their title hopes ended in the preliminary round.

In group E, France brushed Portugal and Slovenia aside and beat Norway 25:23 to take first place in group E, with Norway's win over Slovenia on the opening day proving to be crucial as they advanced.

They will be joined in group I by Croatia and Austria, who took the top two places in group F ahead of Türkiye and the Netherlands. Croatia's 29:21 win over Austria means they will begin the main round in the healthier position.

Despite their loss to Serbia, Sweden finished the preliminary round with the best attack – scoring 102 goals with a goal difference of +32. Croatia's defence was the meanest, only conceding 63 times in three games. Lithuania may not have a point to their name, but Gabija Pilikauskaite is the top scorer in the competition so far with 32 goals.

The main round action throws off today at 17:00 CEST with three potentially crucial encounters, as the teams beginning the round in first and second in the groups go head-to-head; Czechia face Denmark, Serbia play Germany and France take on Croatia.

Host nation Montenegro face Hungary in one of the three matches beginning at 19:30 CEST. Sweden play Spain and Norway face Austria, with a defeat unthinkable for any of the sides.

The competition is not over for the 12 teams who were eliminated in the preliminary round, as they head to the intermediate round, which throws off at 12:00 CEST this afternoon.

The intermediate round follows the same format as the main round, with the teams looking for a good seeding ahead of the cross and placement matches which will decide the final rankings of the W19 EHF EURO. The full format and schedule of the competition can be viewed on the tournament's webpage.

All the matches from the main round and intermediate round will be shown live on EHFTV.

Main Photo © Rukometni savez Crne Gore