Switzerland’s under-18 women’s under-18 women’s handball team defeated Slovakia and finished fifth in the 11th World Women’s Youth Handball Championship.
Switzerland defeated Slovakia 37-31 in the 5th to 6th place match at Pitesti Arena in Pitesti, Romania, on the 9th (local time).
As a result, Switzerland reached the final fifth place in the competition, setting a new record. Switzerland, which is the third participant in the World Women’s Youth Championship, has achieved the feat of entering the top 5 for the first time, surpassing the previous 21st and 14th places.
사진 확대 Photo by Switzerland and Slovakia at the 11th World Women’s Youth Handball Championship. Photo by source = International Handball Federation
Slovakia also lost, but finished sixth, the best ever. Slovakia’s previous performances were 7th, 13th, 19th and 26th.
The early stages of the game were tight. With the two teams exchanging points, Switzerland widened the gap first with a quick fastball.
Switzerland took the lead with a quick 8-5 lead, while Slovakia struggled to chase after a series of errors in the attack. He was relatively stable in defense, but the gap widened as the attack success rate fell.
Switzerland led 12-8 in the 20th minute. On the other hand, Slovakia, the team that won the W17 EHF Euro in 2025, had only 45% of the shooting success rate in the first half.
The goalkeeper’s good defense of both teams was not a big variable at the beginning of the game. Switzerland maintained its lead as the opponent’s strong defense, offensive mistakes, and missed shooting opportunities continued.
However, Slovakia launched a counterattack at the end of the first half. Liliana Gogová, Christina Görögová, and Laura Kurňavová led the attack and gradually narrowed the gap. Slovakia eventually followed by 15-17 and two goals at the end of the first half, turning the game of the fifth-place match into the second half.
However, at the beginning of the second half, Switzerland dominated the atmosphere again. Switzerland scored four consecutive goals in the first half of the second half and immediately ran away by seven goals. Switzerland, which remained focused on the attack afterwards, once again scored four consecutive points between 40 and 44 minutes in the second half, widening the gap to 28-19.
Goalkeeper Leandra Setz blocked Slovakia’s pursuit with a save at every important moment. Noelle Osterwald and Lauryn Mierzwa continued to score in the attack.
Slovakia sought a turnaround by using a wide range of players. Although 12 out of 13 field players showed an even score distribution enough to score at least one goal, it was not enough to reverse the wide gap. Slovakia trailed 25-20 with 10 minutes to play, but Switzerland again tightened the pace of the attack and denied the opponent access. In the end, Switzerland won 37-31 to take fifth place.
In Switzerland, Lauryn Miertzva led the team’s attack with 11 goals. Miertsva scored a total of 71 goals in this tournament, becoming the top scorer of the tournament. Noelle Osterwald scored seven goals and Nora Emenegger six, helping Switzerland win.
In Slovakia, Liliana Gogova scored six goals. Gogova finished the tournament as the most goalscorer in the Slovak team with a total of 44 goals.
Switzerland’s Lauryn Miertsva, who scored 11 goals and became the top scorer of the tournament, was selected as the most valuable player of the match.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]