Norway take first main round win

GROUP II

Norway vs Netherlands 35:32 (16:18)

• Norway trailed by a narrow margin through much of the first half before taking control in the second period to clinch the win
• 14 goals were scored in the first 10 minutes alone, setting the tone for what was a very fast-paced opening half, although the Netherlands were just that little bit faster than Norway and netted many on counter attacks and after quick restarts
• in positional attack, the Netherlands’ fast and movable offence opened big gaps in Norway’s defence and, combining that with the use of their counter attacks, the Dutch took a narrow lead midway through the first period
• the Netherlands’ Bart Ravensbergen won the battle between the posts in the first half, with nine saves in that period compared to four combined at Norway’s end. But Kristian Sæverås improved his rate in the second period to 34 per cent, earning the Grundfos Player of the Match award
• the momentum swung completely the other way in the second half as the Netherlands missed many more chances while Norway lifted their attacking game and took a 26:22 lead by the 43rd minute

First Norway win since round 1

After Norway scraped into the main round with one win and one draw, the victory against the Netherlands was their first since their preliminary round opener against Poland. Norway played their draw against Faroe Islands in preliminary round 2, then lost to Slovenia by one in round 3. In the first game of the main round, Norway recorded a clear loss to Portugal.

The win against the Netherlands therefore feels a long time coming for the side that surely entered the EHF EURO with high hopes after reaching the final weekend at the EHF EURO in three of the last four editions.

Photos © Kolektiff Images