The Netherlands are handball world champions for the first time. In the final in Kumamoto, Japan, the Dutch won 30:29 (16:13) against Spain. The former Bundesliga player Lois Abbingh scored the winning goal six seconds before the end by seven meters. In addition, she crowned herself with 71 goals for the World Cup top scorer.
The title-winning goal, by @loisabbingh! # Japan2019 @ Handbal_NL pic.twitter.com/PToVrRezJA
- IHF (@ihf_info) December 15, 2019Spain, for which it was the first participation in the final, came better into the game and scored many easy goals. But the favorite Dutch women turned the game and led with four goals in the meantime. Spaniard Alexandrina Cabral Barbosa kept her team in the game with five goals.
After the break, Spain came up to 28:28, but in the last 20 seconds Cabral Barbosa finished hastily and failed at the Orange goalkeeper Tess Wester. What followed was a short circuit reaction from Ainhoa Hernández. The circular runner blocked Wester's dropping, for which she saw the red card. Abbingh converted the due penalty to win the title.
The triumph made the Netherlands directly qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which the German team missed last week by losing to Sweden. Olympic champion Russia had already secured the bronze medal against record European champion Norway 33:28 (18:15) in the morning.
