Greece and Hungary will play in the gold medal game at the Final Eight of the Women’s World Cup in Chengdu (China).
Greece beat the Netherlands 15:13 in today’s semifinal, and Hungary defeated Olympic champion Spain, also, by two goals – 10:8. Both teams made the crucial differences after the middle breaks. Greece came back after being four goals down, while Hungary’s defense was up to the task in the second half.
Italy and Australia will play in the 5th-place match, while two Asian teams, Japan and China, will battle for 7th place on Sunday.
2025 Women’s World Cup Final, semifinal day
1st – 4th place
Netherlands – Greece 13:15 (5:3, 4:3, 2:5, 2:4)
Netherlands: Joustra 3, Van der Weijden 2, Van de Kraats 2,Ten Broek 2, Sevenich 2, Keuning 1, Rogge 1.
Greece: Tricha 4, Myriokefalitaki 3, Santa 2, Xenaki 2, Plevvritou 2, , Giannopoulou 1, Ninou 1.
Greece secured itself a spot in the final thanks to a comeback in the last 12 minutes.
The Dutch dictated the pace for two quarters and a half. It seemed that they would advance to their second consecutive World Cup final (they won silver in Los Angeles in 2023). But they will play in the consolation final
The Netherlands got off to a flying start, taking an early 3:0 lead. The Greeks reduced the gap to one goal on several occasions – 3:4, 4:5, 6:7. In the middle of the third period, Joustra converted an extra player to give the Dutch a 4-goal lead for the first time – 11:7. However, shortly after, the Dutch began to lose control. In the very last second of the third period, Greece leveled for the first time – Xenaki found the net to make it 11:11.
The Dutch team took the lead once more early in the fourth period – 12:11. However, Greece responded with two goals, going ahead for the first time. The Netherlands equalized at 13:13 in the 30th minute. In the closing moments of the match, Greece’s Tricha and Santa scored goals, securing a 15:13 victory for Greece.
Spain – Hungary 8:10 (1:3, 5:3, 2:2, 0:2)
Spain: Ortiz 2, Crespi 2, E.Ruiz 2, Camus 2.
Hungary: Farago 5, Leimeter 2, Tiba 1, Sumegi 1, Valyi 1.
The Hungarians’ excellent defense in the second half of a closely contested match sent them to the final. Hungary led 3:1 at the first break. Spain began the second quarter playing catch-up, netting the first two goals to tie it at 3:3, and then trading goals to remain level at 4:4, 5:5, and finally 6:6 at halftime. The third quarter saw Hungary go to 8:6 with 1:40 left. Then Paula Camus took the stage, scoring two goals from the center forward position, bringing the match to 8:8 just before the buzzer.
Hungary saved its best for the fourth quarter. Valyi broke through on a counterattack three minutes in, and Leimeter added her second goal, giving Hungary a crucial two-goal cushion with under three minutes remaining. Spain couldn’t equalize and lost a chance to win the World Cup gold.
5th – 8th place
Japan – Italy 17:26 (4:5, 3:8, 3:4, 7:9)
Japan: Inaba 4, Kawaguchi 3, Nishiyama 3, Fukuda 3, Kobayashi 2, Ura 1, Sekuine 1.
Italy: Giustini 8, Di Maria 4, Ranalli 4, Bettini 3, Leone 2, Cordovani 2, Cergol 1, Millo 1, Meggiato 1.
Italy, led by unstoppable Sofia Giustini, broke Japan’s resistance in the second quarer. Japan, which led 2:0 in the early stage of the match, kept up with Italy until 6:6. By the end of the first half, the Italians made a 6:1 run. At the begining of the third period, they added one more goal for a comfortable 14:7 advantage.
China – Australia 14:16 (3:5, 6:3, 3:7, 2:1)
China:Nong 5, Yan 3, Q. Zhang 2, Y.Zhang 1, S. Wang 1, H.Wang 1, Shao 1.
Australia: Jackovich 6, Andrews 4, Hearn 2, Fasala 1, Lambert 1, Pedley 1, Wiliams 1.
China played very well, but it didn’t achieve a surprising victory. After trailing by two goals at the first break, the hosts built a 2-goal lead in the second period (7:5, 8:6, 9:7). The teams traded goals in the opening minutes of the second half. China led 11:10 in the 19th minute. But it couldn’t go further. Australia made a 5:1 run until the last break, which proved crucial for its win.
