Hungary, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands booked their places in the semifinals of the Women’s U20 European Championships after an eventful quarterfinal day in Oeiras.
Hungary recovered from a difficult start to defeat Neutral Athletes B 15-11 in the opening quarterfinal. The Magyars trailed 4-1 during the first period but transformed the contest with a much stronger defensive display.
A 5-0 Hungarian run turned the deficit into a 6-4 advantage, while Panna Tiba, Zoe Lendvay and Eszter Varro helped Hungary take control during the second half. Lendvay’s remarkable long-range lob at the end of the third quarter gave Hungary an 11-7 lead before they closed out the victory.
They will face Italy in the semifinals after the Italians eventually overcame a resilient Croatian side 17-12.
Croatia made an excellent start and moved 3-0 ahead through two goals from Jelena Butic and another from Neli Jankovic. The teams were still level at 8-8 at half-time, but Italy began to gain control during the third period.
Bianca Rosta, Beatrice Cassara, Malika Bovo and Eleonora Bianco all made important contributions as Italy established a three-goal advantage before pulling clear in the final quarter.
The Netherlands produced another impressive comeback to eliminate Greece 13-10. Greece scored five unanswered goals during the second quarter and led 8-5, but the Dutch responded by shutting their opponents out throughout the third.
Pien Gorter delivered a standout individual performance, scoring seven times as the Netherlands completed their turnaround. Greece managed only two second-half goals after scoring eight before the interval.
The Dutch will meet defending champions Spain, who comfortably defeated Great Britain 26-7.
Spain effectively decided the quarterfinal during a dominant opening period, racing into a 9-0 lead before extending the advantage to 13 goals early in the second quarter.
Great Britain, who had already secured an impressive top-eight finish by defeating France in the crossovers, improved as the game progressed. However, Spain’s quality and depth proved overwhelming, with Martina Claveria scoring five goals.
Elsewhere, Israel beat France 19-9 in the 9th-12th classification round, while Serbia recorded an 18-3 victory over hosts Portugal.
Malta edged Ireland 8-7 after two late goals from Chloe Amato, while Switzerland defeated Romania 11-10.
Thursday’s semifinals will see Hungary face Italy before the Netherlands take on Spain.
Results
Quarterfinals
Hungary 15-11 Neutral Athletes B
Netherlands 13-10 Greece
Spain 26-7 Great Britain
Italy 17-12 Croatia
9th-12th classification
Israel 19-9 France
Portugal 3-18 Serbia
17th-20th classification
Malta 8-7 Ireland
Romania 10-11 Switzerland
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