Summary: Germany qualify with ease, two more teams join
The lineup for the Women's EHF EURO 2024, which contains 24 teams for the first time, will be confirmed in the last two rounds of the Qualifiers this week. First up is round 5 on Wednesday and Thursday, including the Hightlight Match between Ukraine and Germany on Thursday at 19:00 CEST.
21:31 | FULL-TIME
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - ROMANIA 16:37
PORTUGAL - NETHERLANDS 25:36
Teams that have already qualified, Romania and the Netherlands, score expected victories with considerable ease. The difference in quality between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania is just too severe, while Portugal showed some grit in the second half, but it didn't last long. The Dutch finished the match with a 10-3 scoring run.
Antje Malestein led the Netherlands with 10 goals, van Wetering remained with six from the first quarter of the match, and Kelly Dulfer climbed up to the same amount. Beatriz Sousa and Patrícia Rodrigues with six and five goals respectively were the most efficient players among the Portuguese team.
Lorena Ostase scored seven goals for Romania with the goalkeeper Bianca Curment saving 10 shots, while Armina Isic netted four times for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The winners keep their maximum points tally in groups 1 and 3, respectively. Bosnians are eliminated, while Portugal play Czechia in what is their crucial match this Sunday.
21:20
The Dutch are turning it up once more and it seems Portugal's resistance is now broken. With only eight minutes left in the match, the score is 31:22. That's a run of five straight goals.
Romania are also increasing their lead in Cazin (33:16).
21:14
Emily Bölk, Germany's captain, spoke after her team secured qualification for the EHF EURO 2024.
"It was an amazing match for us, with a clear win and the ticket to the EHF EURO. We were fully focused and we put the pedal to the metal until the end. It was our clear goal to run for 60 minutes and to give playing time to the whole team. Unfortunately, Alina Grijseels was severely injured, and currently we do not know the diagnosis. We all cross fingers that Alina will return soon."
21:11
It's getting more and more interesting in Loule! Portugal have cut their half-time deficit in two so now the Netherlands lead only by four goals (25:21). Sousa and Minciuna have been playing exceptionally well since the break.
21:02
Promising play from Portugal as they try to hunt down the Netherlands. They are still way-off though, but they look more stable than in the first half. The guests lead 23:17.
In Cazin, there will be no drama for sure. Romania are cruising (23:10).
20:52
The break is over! We head into the last 30 minutes of round 5.
20:50
Congratulations to Germany for securing their spot at the EHF EURO!
20:47 | HALF-TIME
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - ROMANIA 8:17
PORTUGAL - NETHERLANDS 11:19
Two remaining matches, just like most matches today, are pretty one-sided. Two Biancas - Bazaliu with six goals and Curment with seven saves - helped Romania establish a 10-goal lead at one point (16:6) before the Bosnians lowered it to a nine-goal margin.
The Netherlands are also making light work of their trip to Portugal. After 3:0 and 9:3 the Dutch ended the first half with their highest advantage of eight goals. Van Wetering stays at her six goals and Antje Malestein follows with five.
20:40 | FULL-TIME
NORWAY - HUNGARY 33:18
Norway secure top spot in the EHF EURO Cup by yet another win. Their fifth in as many matches. In Debrecen it was much closer, but here in Ulset we saw a complete domination from the two-time reigning European champions. Especially in the second half which they've won 17:7!
In the final round on Saturday 6 April Norway travel to Zürich to play Switzerland, whille Hungary are hosts to Austria in Györ.
20:30 | FULL-TIME
UKRAINE - GERMANY 20:43
Heidelberg crowd celebrate as Germany qualify for the EHF EURO 2024. Exquisite match by the Germans. Nobody expected it to be this easy, but they thoroughly deserved it. Every German player contributed tonight with at least one goal.
Ukraine travel to Slovakia on Sunday 7 April in their crucial match for second place. They are two points in front of the Slovaks and they beat them in the reverse fixture, so it's still looking good for the Ukranians despite this heavy loss tonight.
20:24
Czechia's 43 goal-mark might come under danger because Germany have scored 39 with five and a half minutes to go. The result is 39:20.
20:22
It took Bosnians almost nine minutes to score their first goal (1:4), so it's no wonder they're already behind by six goals (2:8) against the Romanians.
Netherlands are also looking good, led by Bo van Wetering's six goals out of six attempts! It's 11:7 for the guests in Loule.
20:20
We've mentioned that Norway need a point to secure top spot in the EHF EURO Cup, but they don't care. Their only interest is to play a good match and win again. That is what they're doing right now, by leading 24:15.
Silje Solberg-Oesthassel with 12 saves and Kristiansen, Jacobsen, Herrem and Reistad with four goals each are proving too much for Hungary.
20:12
Another one-sided match thanks to incredible play from Germany. Home crowd in Heidelberg with plenty to cheer for as ther side lead 33:16! EHF EURO, here we come, the Germans are probably thinking.
20:10
Almost five minutes gone in the second half and Hungary are yet to score a goal. Norway are tightening up their defence and lead 19:11 after Herrem's goal.
Netherlands open up a 4:2 lead in Portugal, while Romania lead Bosnia and Herzegovina 3:0.
20:01
Unofficially - Alina Grijseels, who injured her ankle in the first half, has apparently been taken to the hospital. On the court, it's a breeze for the Germans, who lead 26:14.
19:59
Czechia's head coach Bent Dahl was expectedly delighted with his team's performance.
"All matches now are very important for us and we had prepared well and had good training here in Finland. I am satisfied with the match altogether and we got some good running practice in the counter attacks. Now we will look ahead to Sunday and the Portugal match, which will be all-important for both teams.”
19:55
Here we go, second half in Heidelberg. Germany with a huge advantage 23:11.
19:52
Starting in just under 10 minutes, we have the final two matches of round 5.
In group 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina host Romania in Cazin. In that same group Croatia beat Greece 24:13 to secure second place, behind Romania who's also qualified. Bosnians are bottom of the group with no points and no chance of going through. In the reverse fixture Romania won 49:18, which was their biggest victory in history at the EHF EURO Qualifiers.
In Loule Portugal host Netherlands, in group 3 where Czechia took both points earlier today against Finland (43:23). Netherlands have secured their place at the EHF EURO, while Portugal is fighting with Czechia for second place. No matter the outcome tonight, the match Czechia - Portugal on Sunday 7 April will be decisive.
19:49 | HALF-TIME
NORWAY - HUNGARY 16:11
Norway are on their way to securing top spot in the EHF EURO Cup after a solid first half versus Hungary. Current European champions demonstrate their efficient, free-flowing style and the Hungarians are struggling to cope with it.
19:45 | FULL-TIME
LATVIA - SLOVENIA 16:34
A routine victory for Slovenia who edge closer to the EHF EURO berth. This Sunday they host Italy in Ljubljana knowing that a point, or even a loss of up to 12 goals, would be enough to send them safely through. Latvia record their fifth defeat in as many outings, but this is the biggest number of goals they scored in a single match in this campaign.
19:42
In the EHF EURO Cup, Norway started off brilliantly against Hungary with a 7:2 lead and then 14:8. Marit Jacobsen and Viktória Gyori-Lukács lead the scoring charts with four goals each.
19:39 | HALF-TIME
UKRAINE - GERMANY 11:23
A truly impressive, dominating performance from the German side, with the only downside being the injured Alina Grijseels. Five goals from Antje Döll and a total of nine different goalscorers for Germany.
19:34
Alina Grijseels is carried of the court by her teammates. Hopefully, she won't be away from the game too long.
19:31
Injury to Alina Grijseels! That looked nasty, I'm afraid. It seems that Metz's centre back injured her ankle while jumping for the shot. Apparently she landed on Alisa Petriv's foot and the Ukranian received a red card.
19:27
Germany are defensively suffocating Ukraine, and in attack they are simply ruthless. The score says 18:7 to Germany! Not so long ago it was only 5:4 to the hosts, and now a completely different story...
19:21
Germany's run goes on. Two more quick goals by Antje Döll and now it's already 12:5 in favour of the 1994 silver medallsts at the EHF EURO. Second timeout for Ukraine, their head coach Borys Chyzhov needs to act fast before it's too late.
19:18
Germany show authority from the beginning against Ukraine. They're on a 5-1 run now, they lead 10:5 after 14 minutes.
Just a quick glance over at Dobele, Latvia. Slovenia have slowed it down slightly, but still remain firmly in control, leading 27:12.
19:14 | FULL-TIME
KOSOVO - POLAND 27:34
Terrific second half hands Poland a valuable win against direct rivals in the race for the EURO. Not only that, but they secure a solid seven-goal cushion ahead of the reverse fixture in Zielona Gora on Sunday 7 April. Even if they lose by less than seven goals, the Poles will be through.
Monika Kobylinska scored nine goals out of 14 attempts, with Magda Balsam following with six goals. Leonora Demaj scored almost half of Kosovo's goals (12), but it wasn't enough for the hosts.
19:10
The Norwegian team are getting ready for their upcoming clash in the EHF EURO CUP versus Hungary. Norway won all four matches so far, and Hungary three, with only one loss (to Norway). Even with a draw, Norway would secure top position. In the reverse fixture last October Norway beat Hungary in Debrecen 38:31.
19:04
Also, our Highlight match between Ukraine and Germany in Heidelberg has just started. It's a direct clash for a place at the EURO. In the reverse fixture in Germany won 31:24.
Earlier in the afternoon, in group 2 Slovakia beat Israel.
19:00
We're back in Prishtina where Poland are almost constantly ahead by a goal or two. However, now they're three goals in front (28:25) after a goal by Uscinowicz. Only 10 minutes left in this match.
18:54 | FULL-TIME
FINLAND - CZECHIA 23:43
A crushing performance from Czechia, their best offensive display in this qualifying campaign. Also, they outscore Netherlands by one goal after the Dutch team scored 42 in their win against - Czechia!
They now leapfrog Portugal in second place, but even if Portugal loses to Netherlands tonight, Czechia's clash against Portugal on Sunday 7 April will decide second place. Finland are now officially out of contention with zero points.
Jerábková and Cholevová scored seven goals each for the victors, while their goalkeepers Kudlácková and Novotná saved 28 shots in total! Both of them 14. A day to remember for the Czechs.
18:48
In Prishtina second half resumed and now it's Poland who lead 22:21. Still, a tough match to predict the winner. It could go down to the wire.
18:46 | HALF-TIME
LATVIA - SLOVENIA 5:18
No uncertainty in Latvia whatsoever. Slovenia dominate the play as expected. Only two Latvian players managed to score and both of them are named Linda - Kanepe (4) and Krole (1).
18:37
Everything's going according to Slovenia's plans so far. Rakovec, Cernigoj and Erceg combine for a total of five goals to make it 15:3 in favour of the guests.
Meanwhile, Czechia have now scored twice as many goals as Finland, 36:18! Bent Dahl can rotate as much as he wants to preserve his players' energy for their pivotal match against Portugal on Sunday.
18:31
Quotes from the Israel - Slovakia match have arrived.
Gilad Maor, Israel's head coach:
"We lack the experience of playing more international matches. After four qualifiers we are getting better, but unfortunately we do not play at home. Against Ukraine we might have won at home. Today, the change of goalkeeper at the Slovak team decided the match. For 45, 50 minutes we were on the same level and played really well against a strong opponent. Now, we have two chances to learn from Germany on Saturday and Sunday."
Jorge Duenas, Slovakia's head coach:
"We have problems in attack, as our two regular playmakers are out by injuries, so we need to change the line-up, which makes it difficult for us. With this win, we still can finish on second position, if we beat Ukraine by more than five goals. But still, a victory with a smaller distance could be enough to make it to the EURO. With the support from the stands, we have a chance, if we reduce the number of mistakes."
18:29
Second half in Vantaa resumed. Czechia remain focused and their lead continues to increase, 29:12.
18:26
Seems like Finland - Czechia won't be the only one-sided match. Slovenia open up an 8:1 lead after only 10 minutes. Just a reminder that in the reverse fixture Slovenia beat Latvia 51:13 in Celje.
This is the match in group 4 where France qualified with maximum points from five matches. Slovenia and Italy follow with four points each (Italy yesterday lost to France), while Latvia is without a point.
The Latvians are underdogs and are suffering some heavy losses in this campaign. They're on a 16-game losing streak and have never won a match at the EHF EURO Qualifiers.
18:22 | HALF-TIME
KOSOVO - POLAND 17:17
Plenty of goals in Prishtina so far. Kosovo enjoyed a better opening with a 5:1 lead, and then 11:9, but as the match went on Poland managed to restore parity even though their goalkeepers saved only two shots in total.
Demaj's had a phenomenal half, scoring as many as eight goals for Kosovo. Kobylinska with four and Gorná with three were Poland's top scorers.
18:11
Timeout Kosovo as the hosts lead Poland 13:11. Mirela Gjikokaj and Leonora Demaj are really enjoying themselves out there. Both of them have scored five goals.
Latvia and Slovenia have just started their match.
18:05 | HALF-TIME
FINLAND - CZECHIA 10:25
We were expecting Czechia to prove their worth, but the first half was probably even better than they hoped for. Simply breathtaking handball from Bent Dahl's side and surely Finland's comeback is not on the cards.
Marketa Jerábková and Charlotte Cholevová leading the way for the guests with 13 goals combined (7+6), more than the whole Finland team! Kudlácková provided superb support with 14 saves (58 per cent efficiency).
17:59
Total domination from Czechia in Vantaa, 19:8. Their game is just too much for Finland to handle, every shot seems to be going in and the defence is excellent with Kudlácková on goal.
Kosovo have started brilliantly with a 5:1 lead, but Poland are slowly recovering now, it's 7:5 to the hosts.
17:56 | FULL-TIME
ISRAEL - SLOVAKIA 24:35
A comfortable win in the end for Slovakia. Israel couldn't keep the momentum going and Slovakia were able to step it up in the final quarter.
Martina Popovcová and Adriana Holejová scored six goals each for Slovakia, with Irina Yablonska Bobal saving 12 shots (46 per cent efficiency).
Slovakia secure third place in group 2 with four points and still hope they could somehow catch second-placed Ukraine, who play Germany at 19:00 CET, also in Heidelberg.
With their fourth loss in as many matches, Israel are eliminated and can't qualify anymore.
17:46
This is now truly painful to watch if you're a Finland fan. Czechia power on and the score is 11:2!
In Heidelberg there will be on Israel comeback it seems. With seven minutes to go Slovakia have a strong seven-goal lead after several high quality minutes.
17:42
Incredible play from Czechia who are already 8:2 in front with nine minutes gone. The Finns are completely taken aback.
In just a few minutes time Kosovo and Poland also throw off.
17:37
Quickfire start from Czechia, who establish a 4:1 lead after only four minutes. Petra Kudlácková with a few great saves already.
In Heidelberg, Israel are fighting hard and are slowly closing down. Slovakia lead 26:22, but the momentum is with the Israelis right now.
17:30
Slovakia still firmly in control. They extended their lead to 23:15 before Israel responded with two goals, which prompted Slovakia's head coach to call for timeout.
Meanwhile, Finland and Czechia are just about to start in Vantaa.
17:20
Second half in Heidelberg is under way. Slovakia lead Israel 20:14.
17:15
At 17:45 CET Kosovo and Poland meet in Prishtina, which is the penultimate match in group 8. There, Denmark are through to the EURO with maximum points from four matches. Their campaign is finished.
Both Kosovo and Poland - who meet each other again on Sunday 7 April - still have no points. It's simple, the team that scores more points in those two clashes will secure second place and the EURO berth.
17:11
Starting soon, at 17:30 CET, Finland host Czechia in Vantaa in group 3. Netherlands have already qualified, with Czechia and Portugal fighting for second place. They meet on Sunday in what is likely to be a winner-takes-all encounter.
Finland are in theory still in the mix, but they would have to win all their remaining matches and hope Portugal lose theirs to have any shot at finishing third. That will by no means be easy considering Finland score only 19.3 goals on average.
In the return fixture in Zlin Czechia beat Finland 31:21.
17:06 | HALF-TIME
ISRAEL - SLOVAKIA 14:20
Things were deteriorating in quick fashion for Israel in the final stages of the first half. Simply too many errors and Slovakia took full advantage of it, mostly by scoring easy goals from fast break.
Slovakia held a seven-goal lead (18:11, 19:12) when Diana Michalkova received a straight red card for a foul on Mor Shaul, who landed pretty hard on her back. That gave Israel some breathing space, but still it's a comfortable lead for Slovakia at the break.
Holejová and Barel lead the scoring charts with four goals for Slovakia and Israel, respectively.
16:52
Another easy, fast break goal (Popovcová) pushes Slovakia towards their biggest advantage, 14:9. Israel's technical mistakes are piling up.
16:50
As we reach the halfway mark of the first period, Slovakia score two quick goals to make it 12:8. Andriana Holejová with three goals for Slovakia, while Tali Barel has already four on the opposite side.
16:47
Excellent reaction from Israel after a poor start. With a 5-3 run they narrow the gap to 8:6.
16:39
Just like in their previous meeting against the Israelis, Slovakia with a much better start. They lead 5:1 after a little over seven minutes of play. Israel must respond soon if they want to avoid the same script from the previous match.
16:30
There's the throw-off. First offence for Israel.
16:25
The teams have arrived on the court in SNP Dome in Heidelberg. Just a few more minutes until the throw-off.
16:20
Slovakia are hoping for their third EHF EURO berth, while the Israel squad have yet to participate in this competition.
16:12
This will be the sixth meeting between Slovakia and Israel, with the Slovakians winning all five previous encounters. Surely they are the favourites today as well, especially given that they've already beaten the Israelis in this campaign.
16:04
Later on, at 17:30 CET Finland and Czechia start, 15 minutes later Kosovo - Poland, at 18:10 Latvia - Slovenia, at 19:00 our Highlight match Ukraine - Germany, at 19:15 Norway vs Hungary in the EHF EURO Cup, and finally from 20:00 CET Bosnia and Herzegovina - Romania and Portugal - Netherlands.
15:55
A win for Slovakia would guarantee them at least third place. Israel, however, need at least a point to keep their hopes alive. Israel still have to play Germany twice, while Slovakia concludes their qualifying trip against Ukraine. Both matches are to be played on April 7.
15:45
We have seven matches today in EHF EURO Qualifiers and one in the EHF EURO Cup. First up, we have Israel vs Slovakia at 17:30 CET.
That is the match from group 2, the only group where no team has yet qualified. Germany and Ukraine won six points each, Slovakia two and Israel with zero, after Slovakia beat Israel 31:22 on home court.
Even though they are officially hosts, the Israelis welcome Slovakia in Germany, Heidelberg. The same city will be the venue of the group's crucial match for first place between Germany and Ukraine, starting tonight at 19:00 CET:
15:30
Hello everyone and welcome to day two of our live blog for round 5 of the Women's EHF EURO Qualifiers and the EHF EURO Cup!
It's been an eventful day yesterday with nine matches in total, with Croatia and North Macedonia qualifying, thus becoming the 12th and the 13th team to qualify.
Only 11 places are left and some of them will be taken today. Before we turn our attention to the upcoming matches, it's probably best to take a closer look at what happened yesterday all around Europe.
We missed too many chances, five or six 100-percent chances in the first half... We need to work to get a bit more power, a bit more strength. Hopefully, in September we have a complete and healthy squad and we can work towards the EHF EURO. We still need some time.
This match will not go down in history as the best match of the France team. That said, we played seriously and we respected the Italians, who played much better than in the first match. They gave us problems in attack and showed quality. We messed up our handball a bit on one or two new situations. It was a working match, full of lessons.
The first half was the best the women's national team has played. We went into the locker room 10:9 ahead. I still can't figure out what happened in the second half. We conceded many goals from errors in the attack. Croatia are a big team, as are Romania, who we will face on Sunday. We will play in a full stadium and we will have a very difficult task, but we will give our best. Nothing has been decided definitively.
19:57
The last qualifier for today is about to throw off, and we head North for this one: Faroe Islands are hosting already qualified Sweden in group 7. The hosts are still in with a chance to qualify, but can only seal the deal in the last round when they meet Iceland.
This match is also live on EHFTV now.
19:52
Welcome to the Women's EHF EURO 2024... NORTH MACEDONIA!
19:34 | HALF-TIME
_ Luxembourg vs Iceland 5:15
Iceland seem unaffected by hosts Luxembourg's ambitions and have closed the first half with a double-digit advantage. Of course, a defeat seals Luxembourg's fate, while Iceland will have their eyes set on their decisive match in group 7 against Faroe Island – a Nordic derby for a place at the EHF EURO.
19:28 | RESULTS
_ Italy vs France 13:36 (7:19)
_ Lithuania vs Spain 20:34 (9:17)
Already qualified Spain take a commanding 14-goal win... which will also be celebrated in North Macedonia, as this result sends them through to the final tournament as well! They themselves won 37:22 at Azerbaijan earlier today and have now locked up a top-two finish in group 5. Congrats!
And France do what France were expected to do: get another big, big win over Italy.
19:14
Remember Nicole Wiggins? The Spain goalkeeper impressed as a late call-up at the EHF EURO 2022 (read this feature from EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu) and she impresses tonight, with this double save in Lithuania:
19:02
Welcome to the Women's EHF EURO 2024... CROATIA!
17:39 | HALF-TIME
_ Greece vs Croatia 10:9
Well, can Greece upset Croatia? Lots of mistakes from both sides in the first half, but Greece take a narrow lead thanks to playmaker Agni Zygoura's four goals.
17:33
Team timeout Greece. With less than two minutes before the break, Greece are leading Croatia 10:8 with both teams eying a coveted ticket to the final tournament. What a difference to the reverse fixture last October, when Croatia took a commanding 10-goal win (32:22) at home. If they turn this match around, their place at the EHF EURO is secured.
17:24 | RESULT
_ Bulgaria vs Serbia 17:35 (6:19)
Huge win for Serbia in Bulgaria, which ends any slim hopes of qualifying the hosts might still have had. Serbia are now level on five points with Türkiye in group 6, as both teams battle it out for the ticket to the final tournament in a direct duel on Sunday.
17:13
Tight start to the match in Kozani as Greece and Croatia are level at 4:4 after the opening 10 minutes.
16:50
Crunch time for Croatia in Greece! If the 2020 bronze medallists can take both points in Kozani this afternoon, they will join already qualified Romania from group 1 to the final tournament in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
Throw-off in 10 minutes, and it's all live on EHFTV.
16:41 | HALF-TIME
_ Bulgaria vs Serbia 6:19
No problems so far for Serbia, who take a massive 13-goal lead in the first half, with left wing Sanja Radosavljevic netting six times. A win for Serbia will set them up nicely for the all-decisive match in group 6 against Türkiye on Sunday.
16:32 | RESULTS
_ Türkiye vs Montenegro 28:30 (15:14)
_ Azerbaijan vs North Macedonia 22:37 (12:19)
Two co-hosts of the EHF EURO 2022 open round 5 of the 2024 Qualifiers with a win. Led by left wing Dijana Mugoša, already qualified Montenegro take two points home from Türkiye. And North Macedonia have made a big step towards the final tournament: if Spain beat Lithuania later today, then the Macedonians are formally through.
16:26
Talking about mascots, best wishes from Türkiye:
16:22
Meanwhile in Baku, North Macedonia are on their way to the expected substantial win over hosts Azerbaijan. It's 32:19 with six minutes left to play, but Azerbaijan left back Kamila Bayramova is the best scorer so far with seven goals.
16:18
It remains a close battle in Rize, as Türkiye and Montenegro are giving it their all. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Montenegro are 24:22 up as left wing Dijana Mugoša has raised her tally for the match to nine.
16:14
What's in a name? One day before the official match ball for the Women's EHF EURO 2024 in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland was revealed, the tournament's mascot was presented. It's a wildcat, which – based in all three countries – combines three essential traits of handball with its attributes of speed, agility and intelligence.
The only thing missing is the mascot's name, and that is where all handball fans have their say. Find out in this article how you can suggest names and take part in the voting.
15:56
The other round 5 match in group 6 starts soon: Bulgaria are hosting Serbia in Shumen. Throw-off at 16:00 CEST!
15:46
New tournament, new ball!
The official match ball for the Women's EHF EURO 2024 has been revealed earlier today. In contrasting shades of red with green highlights, the ball follows the branding for the EHF EURO 2024 and includes the competition's slogan Catch the Spirit. The ball will be used in every one of the 65 matches at the final tournament between 28 November and 15 December by the 24 participating teams who are looking to lift the coveted trophy.
15:38 | HALF-TIME
_ Türkiye vs Montenegro 15:14
_ Azerbaijan vs North Macedonia 12:19
Türkiye doing well against already qualified Montenegro, leading by one despite left wing Dijana Mugoša netting six times for the visitors. The second ticket from this group 6 will likely come down to a showdown between Türkiye and Serbia in the all-decisive round 6 on Sunday.
And North Macedonia have taken a commanding lead after their slow start in Azerbaijan, as they close in on their berth from group 5.
15:20
We are approaching the halfway mark in the first two matches – and both couldn't be more balanced so far. Türkiye led 7:4 but meanwhile Montenegro are back at 8:8 in their group 6 encounter. And nothing is separating Azerbaijan from North Macedonia in group 5, where the scoreboard displays 7:7 after the visitors enjoyed an early three-goal lead.
15:07
Round 5 has started in Baku and Rize. You can watch all matches live on EHFTV though geo-restrictions may apply due to local broadcasters' rights.
14:54
So, it's all about catching the spirit the next couple of days as we are going to find out which teams will complete the 24-nation lineup for the Women's EHF EURO 2024 in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
For your convenience, here is the playing schedule and a link to the article explaining what teams need in order to punch their ticket to the final tournament:
14:45
Good afternoon to the live blog for round 5 of the Women's EHF EURO Qualifiers and the EHF EURO Cup!
We are close to the throw-off for the first two matches – Azerbaijan vs North Macedonia in group 5 and Türkiye vs Montenegro in group 6 – so have a look at the day preview written by EHF journalist Courtney Gahan to see what is coming your way this afternoon and evening:
