Norway, Netherlands go for gold at Women's World Championship

The Netherlands are looking at their best result in handball history following their emphatic 30:25 win against Poland in the semi-final of the Women's World Championship in Denmark on Friday.

No matter whether they actually beat current EHF EURO and Olympic champions Norway, so far Netherlands have never won a medal at any major handball championship.

Norway reached the final on Sunday by battling down Romania, who had previously beaten defending champions Brazil as well as hosts Denmark,  35:33 after a extra time.

Netherlands came out like a storm in their semi-final against Poland and had already carved out a 15:8 lead at the break. Poland then tried to bounce back in the second period, but the closest they got was within four goals.

The second semi-final between Norway and Romania was a much hotter contested affair.

Norway had led 17:14 at the break, only to suddenly find themselves trailing 21:23 with 10 minutes left on the clock. After 60 minutes the score stood at 27::27.

In extra time Norway exploited a two-minute suspension to Romania to go ahead 30:28 and eventually defended that lead until the end.

The final will take place on Sunday, 20 December at 17:15 hrs local time; the bronze medal match between Romania and Poland throws off at 14:45 hrs.

For more information on the Women's World Championship visit the IHF's website as well the official tournament web presence.

Photos: Jan Christensen courtesy of DHF