2006 European Women's Handball Championship

The 2006 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Sweden from 7 to 17 December. It was won by Norway after beating Russia 27–24 in the final match.

2006 EHF European Women's
Handball Championship

Tournament details
Host country	Sweden
Venue(s)	4 (in 4 host cities)
Dates	7–17 December
Teams	16 (from 1 confederation)
Final positions
Champions	Norway (3rd title)
Runner-up	Russia
Third place	France
Fourth place	Germany
Tournament statistics
Matches played	47
Goals scored	2,510 (53.4 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Nadine Krause (GER) (58 goals)
Best player	Gro Hammerseng (NOR)
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This championship was also the European qualifying event for 2008 Olympics, and Norway earned a spot at the 2008 Games for being the European champion. If Norway also becomes the 2007 World champion, the 2nd place team will qualify for the Olympics. In addition, the 1 or 2 (if Europe finishes in the top 2 continents at the world championship) best ranked teams in this championship, which are outside top 7 at the world championship, will participate at the Olympic qualifying tournament.

Venues

The European Championships will be held in the following cities:

• Skövde, Skövde Arena (Preliminary Group A)
• Malmö, Baltiska Hallen (Preliminary Group D)
• Gothenburg, Scandinavium (Preliminary Group B, Main Group 1)
• Stockholm, Hovet (Preliminary Group C, Main Group 2, Final Round)

Qualification

Country	Qualified as	Previous appearances in tournament
Sweden	Host	4 (1994, 1996, 2002, 2004)
Norway	Semifinalist of 2004 European Championship	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Denmark	Semifinalist of 2004 European Championship	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Hungary	Semifinalist of 2004 European Championship	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Russia	Semifinalist of 2004 European Championship	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Germany	Fifth place of 2004 European Championship	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Austria	Playoff winner	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Croatia	Playoff winner	3 (1994, 1996, 2004)
France	Playoff winner	3 (2000, 2002, 2004)
Macedonia	Playoff winner	2 (1998, 2000)
Netherlands	Playoff winner	2 (1998, 2002)
Poland	Playoff winner	2 (1996, 1998)
Serbia	Playoff winner	0 (Debut)
Slovenia	Playoff winner	2 (2002, 2004)
Spain	Playoff winner	3 (1998, 2002, 2004)
Ukraine	Playoff winner	6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004)

Note: Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

Draw

The draw was held on 6 July 2006 in Göteborg, Sweden.^[1]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Norway  Denmark  Hungary  Russia	Germany  Ukraine  Serbia  Spain	Slovenia  Austria  France  Croatia	Sweden  Netherlands  Macedonia  Poland

Competition format

• Preliminary round: 16 teams are divided into four groups. They play each other in a single round robin system, so each team plays three matches. A win is worth two points, while a draw is worth one point. The top three teams from each group advance to the main round.
• Main round: 12 teams are divided in two groups. They play against the teams they didn't play in the preliminary round, so each team plays 3 matches. All points from the preliminary round, except the points gained against the 4th place team in the preliminary group, are carried forward into the main round. Same round robin rules apply as in the preliminary round. Top 2 teams from each group advance to the Semifinals, while the third placed team from each group advances to the 5th-6th Place Play-off.
• Final round: 6 teams play in the final weekend of the championships. 3rd place teams from the main round play in the 5th-6th Place Play-off. Other teams play in the semifinals. Losers of the semifinals advance to the 3rd-4th Place Play-off, and winners advance to the Final.

Squads

Main article: 2006 European Women's Handball Championship squads

Preliminary round

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Hungary	3	3	0	0	107	72	+35	6	Main round
2	Austria	3	2	0	1	83	94	−11	4
3	Macedonia	3	1	0	2	72	81	−9	2
4	Serbia	3	0	0	3	77	92	−15	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

7 December 2006 18:00	Serbia	23–25	Macedonia	Arena Skövde, Skövde Attendance: 500
		(11–14)
		Report

7 December 2006 20:15	Hungary	42–23	Austria	Arena Skövde, Skövde Attendance: 300
		(15–12)
		Report

---

8 December 2006 18:00	Austria	32–27	Serbia	Arena Skövde, Skövde Attendance: 700
		(17–10)
		Report

8 December 2006 20:15	Macedonia	22–30	Hungary	Arena Skövde, Skövde Attendance: 800
		(10–16)
		Report

---

10 December 2006 15:00	Austria	28–25	Macedonia	Arena Skövde, Skövde Attendance: 800
		(15–15)
		Report

10 December 2006 17:15	Hungary	35–27	Serbia	Arena Skövde, Skövde Attendance: 600
		(16–10)
		Report

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Norway	3	3	0	0	102	63	+39	6	Main round
2	Germany	3	2	0	1	83	77	+6	4
3	Poland	3	1	0	2	75	92	−17	2
4	Slovenia	3	0	0	3	80	108	−28	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

7 December 2006 17:00	Germany	30–20	Poland	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,243
		(14–9)
		Report

7 December 2006 19:15	Norway	43–20	Slovenia	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 1,500
		(19–9)
		Report

---

8 December 2006 17:00	Slovenia	30–31	Germany	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 3,420
		(13–18)
		Report

8 December 2006 19:15	Poland	21–32	Norway	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 3,642
		(12–18)
		Report

---

10 December 2006 14:15	Slovenia	30–34	Poland	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 4,072
		(10–18)
		Report

10 December 2006 16:30	Norway	27–22	Germany	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 4,351
		(15–9)
		Report

Group C

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Russia	3	3	0	0	97	69	+28	6	Main round
2	Croatia	3	2	0	1	67	70	−3	4
3	Sweden (H)	3	1	0	2	57	69	−12	2
4	Ukraine	3	0	0	3	73	86	−13	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
(H) Hosts

7 December 2006 17:45	Russia	27–22	Croatia	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Förström, Mitrunen (FIN)
	Yakovleva 5	(14–10)	Arslanagić 7
	2× 2×	Report	4× 4×

7 December 2006 20:15	Ukraine	18–22	Sweden	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 2,516
		(8–11)
		Report

---

9 December 2006 15:00	Croatia	24–23	Ukraine	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 2,000
		(11–11)
		Report

9 December 2006 17:15	Sweden	15–30	Russia	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 3,500 Referees: Cohen, Peretz (ISR)
	Boson 4	(7–15)	four players 5
	4× 5×	Report	3× 8× 1×

---

10 December 2006 14:00	Russia	40–32	Ukraine	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Liachovičius, Paškevičius (LTU)
	Polenova 9	(18–19)	Boklaschuk, Reznir 6
	3× 2×	Report	3× 3×

10 December 2006 16:15	Croatia	21–20	Sweden	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 3,317
		(10–12)
		Report

Group D

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	2	0	1	78	67	+11	4[a]	Main round
2	France	3	2	0	1	76	74	+2	4[a]
3	Denmark	3	2	0	1	77	71	+6	4[a]
4	Netherlands	3	0	0	3	65	84	−19	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

1. Spain 2 Pts, +1 GD; France 2 Pts, 0 GD; Denmark 2 Pts, –1 GD

7 December 2006 18:00	Spain	26–16	Netherlands	Baltiska Hallen, Malmö Attendance: 1,650
		(11–9)
		Report

7 December 2006 20:15	Denmark	20–24	France	Baltiska Hallen, Malmö Attendance: 3,128
		(10–8)
		Report

---

9 December 2006 18:00	France	24–28	Spain	Baltiska Hallen, Malmö Attendance: 2,700
		(12–15)
		Report

9 December 2006 20:15	Netherlands	23–30	Denmark	Baltiska Hallen, Malmö Attendance: 3,278
		(12–17)
		Report

---

10 December 2006 16:15	Denmark	27–24	Spain	Baltiska Hallen, Malmö Attendance: 3,214
		(17–12)
		Report

10 December 2006 18:30	France	28–26	Netherlands	Baltiska Hallen, Malmö Attendance: 2,200
		(11–13)
		Report

Main round

Group I

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Norway	5	5	0	0	160	111	+49	10	Semifinals
2	Germany	5	4	0	1	143	116	+27	8
3	Hungary	5	3	0	2	167	134	+33	6	Fifth place game
4	Poland	5	2	0	3	130	156	−26	4
5	Austria	5	1	0	4	121	173	−52	2
6	Macedonia	5	0	0	5	113	144	−31	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

12 December 2006 15:00	Macedonia	33–35	Poland	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,077
		(21–16)
		Report

12 December 2006 17:00	Hungary	27–34	Germany	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,189
		(9–19)
		Report

12 December 2006 19:15	Austria	24–39	Norway	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,278
		(14–18)
		Report

---

13 December 2006 15:00	Hungary	37–21	Poland	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,051
		(16–9)
		Report

13 December 2006 17:00	Austria	22–34	Germany	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,225
		(11–19)
		Report

13 December 2006 19:15	Macedonia	13–28	Norway	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,307
		(10–17)
		Report

---

14 December 2006 15:00	Austria	24–33	Poland	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,049
		(12–20)
		Report

14 December 2006 17:00	Macedonia	20–23	Germany	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,235
		(10–10)
		Report

14 December 2006 19:15	Hungary	31–34	Norway	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 2,434
		(16–17)
		Report

Group II

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Russia	5	5	0	0	145	112	+33	10	Semifinals
2	France	5	3	0	2	122	117	+5	6
3	Sweden (H)	5	2	0	3	109	120	−11	4[a]	Fifth place game
4	Croatia	5	2	0	3	117	120	−3	4[a]
5	Spain	5	2	0	3	124	133	−9	4[a]
6	Denmark	5	1	0	4	118	133	−15	2

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
(H) Hosts
Notes:

1. Sweden 2 Pts, +4 GD; Croatia 2 Pts, –1 GD; Spain 2 Pts, –3 GD

12 December 2006 16:00	Croatia	27–29	Spain	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 200
		(21–16)
		Report

12 December 2006 16:00	Russia	25–24	France	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 500 Referees: Cirligeanu, Bejinariu (ROU)
	Poltoratskaya 8	(10–11)	Dembélé 5
	2× 1×	Report	3× 3×

12 December 2006 20:15	Sweden	27–22	Denmark	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 1,252
		(15–12)
		Report

---

13 December 2006 16:00	Croatia	21–22	France	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 300
		(10–8)
		Report

13 December 2006 18:00	Sweden	24–19	Spain	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 1,500
		(10–10)
		Report

13 December 2006 20:15	Russia	32–27	Denmark	Hovet, Stockholm Referees: Baum, Góralczyk (POL)
	Polenova 7	(17–13)	Mikkelsen 7
	2× 4×	Report	4× 7×

---

14 December 2006 16:00	Sweden	23–28	France	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 2,135
		(13–13)
		Report

14 December 2006 18:00	Croatia	26–22	Denmark	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 850
		(16–9)
		Report

14 December 2006 20:15	Russia	31–24	Spain	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 450
	Levina 7	(14–11)	Aguilar 6
	3× 3× 1×	Report	3× 5×

Knockout stage

Bracket

	Semifinals				Final
	16 December
	Norway	28
					17 December
	France	24
					Norway	27
	16 December
					Russia	24
	Germany	29
	Russia	33
					Third place
					17 December
					France	29
					Germany	25

Fifth place game

16 December 2006 12:00	Hungary	32–25	Sweden	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 2,500 Referees: Liachovičius, Paškevičius (LTU)
	Mehlmann 8	(17–12)	Chrifi 9
	3× 3×	Report	4× 1×

Semifinals

16 December 2006 14:30	Germany	29–33	Russia	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 3,054 Referees: Goulão, Macau (POR)
	Jurack 8	(13–16)	Turey 5
	2× 3×	Report	2× 4× 1×

---

16 December 2006 17:00	Norway	28–24	France	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 3,617 Referees: Laursen, Nielsen (DEN)
	Hammerseng 8	(15–12)	Spincer, Vanparys-Torres 5
	3× 2×	Report	4× 4×

Third place game

17 December 2006 13:30	France	29–25	Germany	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 3,415 Referees: Hagen, Hallberg (SWE)
	Spincer 7	(14–11)	Jurack 7
	2× 4×	Report	2× 2×

Final

17 December 2006 16:00	Norway	27–24	Russia	Hovet, Stockholm Attendance: 4,727 Referees: Baum, Góralczyk (POL)
	Johansen 9	(16–12)	Polenova, Poltoratskaya 6
	3× 4×	Report	3× 2×

Ranking and statistics

Final ranking  Norway  Russia  France 4  Germany 5  Hungary 6  Sweden 7  Croatia 8  Poland 9  Spain 10  Austria 11  Denmark 12  Macedonia 13  Ukraine 14  Serbia 15  Netherlands 16  Slovenia

2006 Women's European Champions Norway Third Title Team roster Marit Malm Frafjord, Terese Pedersen, Gro Hammerseng, Kristine Lunde, Marianne Rokne, Katrine Lunde, Else-Marthe Sørlie, Gøril Snorroeggen, Anette Hovind Johansen, Karoline Dyhre Breivang, Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Ragnhild Aamodt, Anne Kjersti Suvdal, Kari Mette Johansen, Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth, Katja Nyberg and Tonje Nøstvold Head coach: Marit Breivik All-Star team Goalkeeper:  Inna Suslina (RUS) Left wing:  Kari Mette Johansen (NOR) Left back:  Nadine Krause (GER) Pivot:  Lyudmila Bodniyeva (RUS) Centre back:  Gro Hammerseng (NOR) Right back:  Ibolya Mehlmann (HUN) Right wing:  Annika Wiel Fredén (SWE) Best defense player:  Isabelle Wendling (FRA) Most valuable player:  Gro Hammerseng (NOR) Source: EHF Archived 2020-12-02 at the Wayback Machine

Top goalscorers Rank Name Team Goals Shots  % 1 Nadine Krause  Germany 58 94 62 2 Karolina Kudłacz  Poland 48 79 61 3 Tanja Logwin  Austria 45 89 51 4 Gro Hammerseng  Norway 41 58 71 Kari Mette Johansen  Norway 53 77 Grit Jurack  Germany 89 46 7 Marina Naukovič  Macedonia 40 96 42 8 Ibolya Mehlmann  Hungary 37 71 52 9 Angélique Spincer  France 35 71 49 10 Susana Fraile  Spain 34 68 50 Yelena Polenova  Russia 64 53 Source: EHF

Top goalkeepers Rank Name Team % Saves Shots 1 Inna Suslina  Russia 44 71 163 2 Katrine Lunde  Norway 42 89 214 3 Sabine Englert  Germany 41 65 160 Katalin Pálinger  Hungary 99 239 5 Jokelyn Tienstra  Netherlands 38 36 94 6 Jelena Grubišić  Croatia 37 32 87 Iwona Łącz  Poland 49 134 8 Valérie Nicolas  France 36 92 255 9 Louise Bager Due  Denmark 35 33 94 Madeleine Grundström  Sweden 79 223 Karin Mortensen  Denmark 28 80 Rikke Schmidt  Denmark 23 65 Source: EHF

References

1. "Time for the drawings!". euro06.com. 6 July 2006. Archived from the original on 13 November 2006. Retrieved 10 August 2020.