Bold takeaway: Norway’s status is secure, but Kazakhstan still has a fighting chance to reach the second stage with one decisive win. And here’s why the drama isn’t over yet.
Norway, the Olympic and European champions, comfortably secured a main round berth at the Germany/Netherlands 2025 tournament by defeating Kazakhstan in Trier as expected. Kazakhstan, the Asian bronze medallists, still has one final opportunity to advance to the second stage if they can beat the Republic of Korea on Monday, December 1.
Group H recap: Kazakhstan 16:41 Norway (7:21).
Tactics and lineup shifts shaped the night. Kazakhstan coach Aliaksandr Sytsko stayed with the squad that fell to Angola in their opening Group H match (38:20) on Thursday, while Norway’s new coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad made one personnel tweak. To manage minutes, legendary goalkeeper Katrine Lunde sat out, reducing Norway’s number of goalkeepers from three to two, and elevating line player Vilde Ingstad into the rotation.
Even die-hard Kazakhstan fans probably didn’t expect much against one of the world’s strongest women’s handball nations. Yet the early exchanges defied expectations, at least relative to the script. Gjekstad kept Emilie Hovden, Stine Skogrand, and Anniken Wollik in the starting seven, with Eli Marie Raasok stepping in for Lunde between the posts. The lineup also included Live Deila, Kristine Breistol, and Selma Henriksen.
Norway surged ahead early, leading 5:2 at the 4-minute mark. What surprised observers was that the anticipated runaway scoreline didn’t fully materialize; Kazakhstan remained stubbornly competitive for stretches. By the 9th minute, Sytsko had called his first timeout as Kazakhstan trailed 9:3.
Adjustments followed: Gjekstad called an early timeout at 17 minutes (12:5), and Norway extended the gap to 10 goals (15:5) shortly after. Sytsko answered with a second timeout immediately after the Norwegian burst, mirroring his approach in the Angola game.
The tempo dipped, and over a seven-minute span (21st–28th minutes) the European champions managed only one scoring sequence, leaving the halftime score at 17:5.
The intent for the second half was clear for Norway. Henny Reistad and Nora Mork began warming up on the court during the break, and their presence helped push the lead to 20 goals with 29:9 on the clock (40th minute).
The SWT Arena’s 3,153 spectators had vowed support for the underdogs, and their cheers erupted when Damira Zhaparova, Kazakhstan’s goalkeeper, capitalized on a loose pass to score a full-court shot on a European 7v6 attack—right before a live Lunde, watching from the stands and noting down goalkeeper positioning, who was the Norwegian idol for Zhaparova.
Individual recognition: hummel Player of the Match went to Emilie Hovden (Norway).
Looking ahead, Kazakhstan faces a crucial test on Monday against Korea. A victory would keep their hopes alive, but they’ll need to overcome a Norwegian side that has already secured its place in the main round and remains a formidable challenger for the title. The looming question for fans and analysts remains: can Kazakhstan leverage this last-chance format to upset the odds, or will Norway cement their championship pedigree and push deeper into the tournament?"
