Hungary crowned U17 European Champions

Day 8, U17 Women’s European Championships, Manisa, Turkiye

Hungary emerged as the well-deserved champions of the U17 European Championships in Manisa, securing a comprehensive 11-8 victory over Spain in the final.

The match showcased a valiant effort from Spain, demonstrating a significant improvement from their previous encounter with Hungary in the preliminary round. However, despite the improvements from the Spaniards, they had to settle for silver.

Spain started strongly, taking the lead on three occasions in the first half. The teams entered the intermission with a balanced scoreline of 3-3. However, Hungary displayed their dominance in the third period, unleashing a formidable onslaught with four consecutive goals to establish a three-goal lead (8-4). Panna Tiba’s perfectly placed lob and Laura Kardos’ close-range shot were followed by two crucial strikes from Kata Hajdu, firmly putting Hungary in control of the game. Although Spain continued to chip away, they were unable to regain the momentum required to alter the outcome.

Kata Hajdu scored four goals in the final for the Magyars, three of which came from the 5m penalty line. Martina Claveria also contributed four goals for the Spanish.

Greece secured the bronze medal with a narrow 7-6 victory over Italy in a tightly contested match. Throughout the game, Greece appeared to have a slight edge and proved to be the more determined team, ultimately deserving their podium finish. While Italy scored the opening goal early in the game, their lead lasted merely forty seconds. After a goalless spell of nine minutes, Greece surged ahead in the third period with goals from Drakotou and Galanopoulou, creating a 6-3 advantage. The Setterosa fought back admirably to level the score, but Greece responded with two crucial goals that Italy couldn’t match. Despite Italy’s efforts to narrow the gap in the last two minutes and hitting the woodwork twice in the closing moments, Greece exhibited remarkable composure to secure the victory to claim the bronze medal.

The Netherlands secured a 5th place finish in Manisa today, replicating their achievement from two years ago in Sibenik, with a well-earned 6-4 victory over Israel. Just as in the preliminary round, the Dutch managed to secure a two-goal margin win against Israel, although this time in a lower-scoring contest. After a goalless first eight minutes, the Netherlands showed a strong finish to the second quarter, gaining the initiative. While Israel made a comeback in the third quarter, two quick goals from Kiara Heerink and Meinke Van der Schaaf extended the Dutch lead to three goals (6-3), a deficit that proved insurmountable for Israel.

In the seventh place game, Croatia achieved their highest ever finish at a U17 women’s event by defeating the hosts, Turkiye, with a final score of 12-10. Croatia started strongly, with Jelena Butic and Ria Glas each scoring two goals in the first period, leading to a 4-0 advantage after eight minutes. Despite the hosts’ efforts to stage a comeback and level the score at 8-8 before the end of the third quarter, thanks to crucial goals from Hanzade Dabbag, it was the goals scored in the final period that proved most decisive. Neli Jankovic restored Croatia’s lead with the first attack of the fourth quarter, and two more goals without reply from Alamat and Stipanov sealed the victory for Croatia, putting an end to any hopes of a Turkish comeback. The hosts, like their counterparts, also secured a record-high finish at this level of competition.

Gold medal match
Spain 8 – 11 Hungary (1-1, 2-2, 3-6, 2-2)

Bronze medal match
Greece 7 – 6 Italy (3-2, 0-1, 2-2, 2-1)

5th Place Final
Israel 4 – 6 Netherlands (0-0, 1-3, 2-1, 1-2)

7th Place Final
Croatia 12 – 10 Turkiye (4-0, 3-4, 1-4, 4-2)