North Macedonia and Croatia secure a place at the Women's EHF EURO 2024

• the flying duo, Jovana Sazdovska (seven) and Sara Ristovska (six) scored 13 goals combined as the Macedonians celebrated a big victory in Baku
• left wing Dijana Mugoša was instrumental in Montenegro's comeback win against Türkiye in Rize as the Golden Lioness scored nine goals finishing as the match's top scorer
• Serbia restricted Bulgaria to only six goals scored in the first half while on the other hand, Uros Bregar's squad was relentless in offence as they recorded a sky-high 74 per cent shot efficiency over the course of the match
• Katarina Jezic is playing in excellent form and once again, the line player was the X-factor for Croatia as she scored five goals without missing a single attempt and was the match's top scorer
• Elin Jona Thorsteinsdottir made eight saves in Iceland's win against Luxembourg and the goalkeeper noted a fantastic save efficiency of over 61 per cent
• the veteran Manuela Brütsch made 13 saves in Switzerland's win against Austria and the 40-year-old goalkeeper stopped 40 per cent of shots heading her way

GROUP 1

Greece vs Croatia 13:24 (10:9)

With both national teams on equal points ahead of the throw-off, the stakes were high in Kozani and the hosts were looking eager to spoil Croatia's chances of qualifying for the final tournament. Even though the visitors took an early two-goal lead (5:7) in the 14th minute, the Greeks displayed strong character to get back into the match and even take a narrow lead (10:9) of their own at the break. In the second half, Croatia took control of the match in their own hands as they strengthened their defence as well as improved their shooting efficiency. With that being said, Greece scored only three goals in the second half, which ultimately, was crucial in deciding the final outcome. In the end, the tenth-ranked team from the last European Championship came off victorious to celebrate booking a place at the final tournament, while Greece remain with a shot to be one of the third-best ranked teams ahead of the final round.

GROUP 4

Italy vs France 13:36 (7:19)

The start of the match in Chieti was reminiscent of the one from their previous fixture in Villeneuve D'ascq when France ran riot (50:16) against Italy at the start of the qualifiers. Now, it took the hosts almost 10 minutes before they scored their opening goal, while the world champions were already seven up by that time. Goalkeeper Laura Glauser made nine saves in the first half and denied every attempt by the Italians to start a goalscoring run, which ultimately gave the French attack the freedom to fully express on the other side of the court as they took a massive advantage at the break. Unfortunately for the hosts, the French did not stop in the second half and even further solidified their defence which conceded one goal less (six) than the first half. Chloé Valentini, Laura Flippes and Lucie Granier ended the match as joint top scorers in their team's huge win in Italy.

GROUP 5

Azerbaijan vs North Macedonia 22:37 (12:19)

A dream start saw the Macedonians take a four-goal lead (4:0) with the innovative playmaker, Simona Madjovska pulling the strings early on offence. However, even though it took the hosts six minutes to score their opening goal, they quickly bounced back to level the score at 5:5 in the 11th minute and subsequently, kept the score close until the 20th minute when the visitors managed to up the tempo. From that moment on, five different goalscorers found the back of the hosts' net in the final minutes of the first half, while the Azerbaijanis could not get past the goalkeeper, Jovana Micevska in the same period and the Macedonians set up their biggest (seven-goal) lead at the break. The comfortable lead earned in the first half gave coach Kristijan Grchevski the freedom to hand a chance to the younger players in the squad. The talented Iva Mladenovska, who scored four goals without missing a single attempt, was one of a few who took the opportunity to impress with both hands. In the end, the Macedonians celebrated a historic win in Baku which secured them a place at the Women's EHF EURO 2024 ahead of the final round.

𝗢𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 to clinch the #ehfeuro2024 ticket!🫡 North Macedonia 🇲🇰 playing their best 🆚 Azerbaijan! #catchthespirit pic.twitter.com/2EUY55iIcK

— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) April 3, 2024

Lithuania vs Spain 20:34 (9:17)

With North Macedonia recording a win earlier in Baku, Lithuania were under pressure to win against the mighty Spain to remain with a chance of reaching second place in group 5, but the visitors had other plans. The unbeaten Spain started the match on a high and restricted the hosts to only three goals until the 10th minute, which set the course for the remainder of the first half as Las Guerreras kept scoring with ease building a big advantage ahead of the break. The Lithuanians displayed an improved performance in the second half, both in defence and offence, but they were unable to annul Spain's dominance from the opening 30 minutes. Last but definitely not least, Lithuania's 20 goals came from only four players in comparison to Spain's 14, which speaks volumes about the visitors' strength in depth as they remain unbeaten in the qualifiers.

🚨 So she had to do it 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒆! 🔥💪 #ehfeuro2024 #catchthespirit pic.twitter.com/n1LGiof753

— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) April 3, 2024

GROUP 6

Türkiye vs Montenegro 28:30 (15:14)

In a hectic atmosphere in Rize, the hosts were on a mission to make history in front of their passionate supporters and they took Montenegro by a surprise at the start of the match when they took a three-goal lead (7:4) in the eighth minute. However, the already qualified visitors are a team never to be written off as they have shown in the past and now, the Golden Lionesses fought hard to get back into the match and after an opening 30 minutes full of turnarounds, the Turks went to the break with only a narrow lead. The Women's EHF EURO 2022 bronze medallists proved their quality in the second half as they took control of the match in their hands once it entered the decisive minutes or precisely after the 45th minute, to disappoint the home fans in the stands. The Montenegrins remain unbeaten in the qualifiers, while Türkiye await a must-win match against Serbia in Zrenjanin in the final round.

𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟓 of #ehfeuro2024 Qualifiers is 🔛 with a 🔥 start! Will 🇹🇷 beat 🇲🇪 at home to keep the 2nd place of their group? #catchthespirit @rukometnisavez pic.twitter.com/U0etk2L3w5

— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) April 3, 2024

Bulgaria vs Serbia 17:35 (6:19)

With Serbia beginning the match in third place, the inspired visitors were determined to better their position in group 6 and they completely nullified Bulgaria's offence in the opening 10 minutes. With that being said, Serbians took an early ten-goal lead (0:10), while the hosts needed 14 minutes to score their maiden goal of the match. From that point on, it was a one-way street for Bulgaria as Sanja Radosavljevic kept finding the net with ease and she scored six goals in the opening 30 minutes. In the second half, Serbia continued to display a high-tempo performance and the coach Uros Bregar gave chance to Radosavljevic's partner on the left wing, Aleksandra Stamenic, who outscored the former as she scored seven goals and was the match's top scorer. After the final whistle, Serbia celebrated a very important win as they close in on a place at the Women's EHF EURO 2024 ahead of the final round.

GROUP 7

Luxembourg vs Iceland 15:31 (5:15)

With Iceland chasing a place at the Women's EHF EURO for the first time in 12 years, the trip to Luxembourg was a chance to strengthen their position in the table, while the hosts were hanging on a glimmer of hope to reach the final tournament. The Icelanders aware of their quality, started the match on a high and restricted Luxembourg's offence to only a couple of goals scored until the 20th minute, which was decisive in the visitors building a solid 10-goal advantage ahead of the break. Not much changed in the second half as Iceland were determined to secure a win and build on their goal difference, while the hosts doubled their goal tally from the first half. Only one outfield player didn't get on the scoresheet for Iceland in the end, which was a sign of their squad's quality as they celebrated a very important win in the race for the second spot in group 7 ahead of the final round against the Faroe Islands.

Faroe Islands vs Sweden 27:31 (11:14)

The Faroese displayed their love for handball once again as the hall in Torshavn was pulsating as one with their favourites during the match against Sweden. However, the fifth-ranked team from the Women's EHF EURO 2022 is used to playing under pressure in front of passionate fans and after the initial strong start by the hosts, the Swedes established control of the match in the final minutes of the first half to take a deserved three-goal lead at the break. The pacey Faroese were determined to try to mount a comeback in the second half, but Sweden's experience prevailed even though the hosts came close on a few occasions to narrow down their lead to a single goal. In the 49th minute and the 51st minute, Evelina Eriksson denied the Faroese with a couple of saves and set the tone for the final minutes in which Sweden dominated to cap off the fifth win in the qualifiers. The flamboyant playmaker Jana Mittún ended up as the match's top scorer with eight goals to her name for the Faroes.

EHF EURO CUP

Austria vs Switzerland 26:29 (11:13)

With Austria winless after four matches played in the EHF EURO Cup and sitting bottom in the standings, they welcomed Switzerland in Maria Enzersdorf with the aim to end their unwanted four-match losing run. However, the Suisse were determined to add to their two points and after the opening lead of Austria, they established full control over the score and took a three-goal lead (4:1) in the fifth minute. The hosts were trying to mount a comeback, but the visitors were super-efficient in offence and went to the break with a two-goal lead. The pacey Swiss were favoring a direct and fast approach and the Austrians simply could not cope with the visitors' pace, which proved crucial in deciding the final outcome. In the 48th minute, they took a five-goal lead (24:19), signaling the end of Austria's hopes to secure a maiden win in the EHF EURO Cup, while Switzerland move closer to Hungary and second place in the standings.