Big win in Golden League opener | handball.no
The handball girls are gathered in Denmark, where they will play three matches from Thursday.
Norway meets Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands in the Golden League, which will be the warm-up for the EC in November. Norway’s first opponent was Switzerland.
The first half started close, but after four minutes Norway took a 3-2 lead. Switzerland hung on and didn’t let the Norwegian girls increase the lead at the start, but after nine minutes the handball girls increased to a two-goal lead.
The Norwegian girls calmly continued to increase their lead, and came ahead with three goals at 10-7. Just minutes later, the handball girls were able to increase their lead again, this time to a five-goal lead.
As if after a half-played game, Norway made more substitutions and a new line came out on the field. The new line, with among others Nora Mørk, Stine Skogrand and Henny Reistad, came early on to score chances. Not long after the change, the Norwegian girls were seven goals ahead of Switzerland at 16-9.
It really loosened up for the handball girls, who had quick scoring chances with a free throw and a counterattack with Ingstad, who increased the lead by another goal with just over five minutes left in the half.
The last five minutes were used well, and the Norwegian girls came out ahead with thirteen goals. It was 23-10 in Aarhus in Denmark at the break.
From the break, the girls quickly increased their lead to a fifteen-goal lead. For a period, the gap between Norway and Switzerland stood at fifteen goals, until the half-played second half, when the handball girls increased the lead to 33-16.
Switzerland were never quite able to get close to Norway, who once again extended their lead. Just like before the end of the match, they led with 18 goals. This is also how the match ends, at 39-22.
National team coach Thorir Heirgeirsson summed up the match sweetly for TV 2 Directly after the match:
– It was a good increase. It was the first game, soon and some new players with little time to train with the established ones. There were also some new roles to be defined. Then we switched a little, many at a time, and it is challenged with rhythm. We probably won’t do that this weekend, he says.
Norway will face the Netherlands in its next match in the Golden League. The match will be played on Saturday at 1:45 p.m.
Norway’s recruiting national team also has a meeting this week, with two matches against North Macedonia on the programme. In Thursday’s match, Rekruttjente won 27-26, after trailing 14-17 at halftime.
– The break was used well and in the second half duels were won in defense all over the line. This also resulted in several goalkeeper saves from Rikke “Bobbo” Granlund, which in turn led to great counter goals, says Michael O’Sullivan in the coaching team.
– At 26-26, North Macedonia took a timeout with one minute left. After good defense, Norway won the ball, and Joar Gjerde laid out a good plan in his timeout together with the girls. It resulted in a great score from Tuva Høve with five seconds left in the game, and victory 27-26, says O’Sullivan.
Ragnhild Valle Dahl became the Rekruttjente’s top scorer with seven goals.
COMBAT FACTS
Golden League Women
Norway – Switzerland 39-22 (23-10)
Ceres Arena, Aarhus, Denmark
Norway’s team: Veronica Kristiansen 7, Vilde Ingstad 6, Henny Reistad 4, Kristina Sirum Novak 3, Nora Mørk 3, Marit Røsberg Jacobsen 3, Sunniva Andersen 3, Thale Rushfeldt 3, Emilie Hegh Arntzen 2, Ane Cecilie Høgseth 2, Malin Aune 2, Maren Aarda 1, Stine Skogrand, Rikke Larsen Øyerhamn, Marie Davidsen, Silje Solberg.
Switzerland’s top scorer: Kerstin Kündig 7 goals
Expulsions: Norway 0x2min, Switzerland 4x2min
Read more about the Handball Girls here