Denmark-Norway and Sweden-France will face each other on Friday evening in the semi-finals. The final will take place on Sunday evening. Let’s take a look at the pairs of Maarja Treiman, chosen three times as Estonia’s best handball player, and assistant coach of the women’s team Kerli Jõks.
Denmark – Norway
The two Scandinavian rivals, who between them have 17 World Cup medals, will face each other first on the Danes’ home ground. Last year, the same women’s teams faced each other in the European Championship final, where Norway lost 27:25. In the last eleven meetings between the two teams, Denmark has only managed to stay ahead in three. Both teams suffered only one defeat in the tournament, when the Norwegians lost to France and the Danes to Japan.
“Although there were small surprises during the tournament, in the end things went as expected. It is a very powerful sight that the Nordic countries playing near us have all reached this point. Even though I was hoping a little ‘For Montenegro to surprise Denmark in the quarter-finals, it didn’t happen that way,’ began Treiman.
Norway’s attack has been the best of the tournament so far, averaging 35 goals per game. They also lead in both goalie percentage (41.3) and shots allowed (21). However, the Danes are not far from them in any ranking, when their numbers are 32, 38 and 22. “I believe that we will be able to see an exciting battle until the last minutes, where the goalkeepers will play an important role. Since I myself I have always followed the progress of the Norwegian girls, my personal support is aimed at them”, continued the women’s national team.
Sweden – France
In the second semi-final the only undefeated teams of the tournament will face each other. While the French have won all six semi-finals of previous World Cups, the Swedish women’s team has yet to reach the final of a major competition. In its historic only previous semi-final, in 2017, it failed to overcome France. If so far the French attack has been better than their opponents (222 – 206 goals scored), the Scandinavians have been more successful in defense (average number of shots allowed 19.57 – 24.57).
“In general, the two African teams left a positive impression on me at the tournament. Angola, who managed to fight against France until the last minutes, and Senegal, who played a good group stage. It’s always a pleasure see that handball is played at good levels even outside of Europe. In the quarterfinals, France and Norway have already shown their strength in front of their opponents, and Sweden controlled well against Germany. The most exciting match proved to be between Denmark and Montenegro, where, despite the booing chants of the home crowd, the Montenegrins still fought until the end and remained behind by only two points”, began the analysis of the tournament, the coach of HC Tabasalu and the national team Estonian, Kerli Jõks.
“In the quarterfinals we once again saw the great role of goalkeepers in modern handball, and this will not change even among the top four. I expect an equal battle between Sweden and France, and since so far none of the matches of the tournament have gone to extra time or penalties, sooner or later they will have to get there. Personally I hope that the French get to the final, among which there is one of my favourites, Estelle Nze Minko. I believe that France has a longer bench and an internal climate strong, which tips the scales slightly in his favor,” concluded Jõks.
Women’s World Cup Semifinals:
15.12
6.30pm Denmark – Norway
10.00pm Sweden – France
2023-12-15 08:36:15
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