European Championship day 8: the Netherlands European champion against Belgium, Czech Republic take bronze

Ten Portuguese goals in the second quarter

Inês Santos opened the scoring from a penalty after a minute and a half and, with Catarina Frade, made it 3‑0. Turkey came back through Simay Duman, Buse Argin and Gülsah Güner Dalar to 3‑2 and 4‑3, but Portugal went into the second quarter at 7‑4. In it Portugal scored ten times, four of them with a run-in from Frade, Santos, Hugo Fernandes and Celise Ribeiro, and pulled away to 17‑8. Ali Furkan Çetin made it 17‑9 in the final seconds before half-time.

João Almeida went off injured after just over thirteen minutes and was replaced by Vasco Diniz. After the break Turkey scored more often: Sarp İncekara hit two long shots in a row (18‑12) and Eylem Ozel made it 19‑13. In the final quarter substitute Ezgi Yurdagül scored twice and Yagiz Ozturk from a penalty, but Turkey got no closer than five goals.

Fernandes made it 22‑16 from a penalty and 24‑17 two seconds before the end. Turkey won the second half 8‑7. Santos was top scorer with six goals, Ribeiro scored four. Turkey, in the top eight for the first time, finish eighth.

Read more: Oranje break Belgium after half-time and are European champions: 27‑12

England also win the second match against Catalonia

England beat Catalonia 15‑11, but the gap stayed small for a long time. Joseph Bedford scored the only goal of a first quarter that ended 1‑0. Shannon Jones and Ashley Warner put England 3‑0 up, after which Roc Margaix missed a penalty. After a goal by Temi Combis Julià, Miquel Gil Maeso scored twice (3‑3), and just before half-time he made it 5‑4.

In the third quarter England pulled away. Rachel Page missed a penalty, but ten seconds later Blake Palfreyman did score (7‑5). Shane Buckland, who scored eight goals against Portugal on Thursday, scored twice; between those two goals Catalonia took a time-out. Warner scored her third (10‑5). All five Catalan goals up to that point had come from the men.

In the final quarter Catalonia came back. Margaix, who played on limping, converted a penalty (11‑8); Catalonia had no men left on the bench. Julia Soriano Milián made it 12‑9 and 12‑10 within a minute and a half. Shortly afterwards Page had to go off injured after a fall; England took a time-out. Palfreyman then made it 13‑10 and 14‑10. Bedford, who scored three times, played his last match for England and was substituted with 24 seconds to play. Kathryn Brooks made it 15‑11.

Czech Republic take bronze in front of home crowd

The Czech Republic won bronze in front of their home crowd in Zlín. They beat Germany 20‑12, after a half-time score of 8‑5. Theo Nowak put Germany 1‑0 up with a long shot after sixteen seconds, after which the Czech Republic never trailed again. Lukas Holik made it 1‑1 from a penalty, and Petr Snajdr, Petr Galicek and Sara Sahatciu made it 2‑4 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Czech Republic pulled away to 3‑8, including a run-in from Sofie Vojnova (3‑7). In the first half Germany twice gave the ball away on a free pass; at 3‑7 they took a time-out. Lucas Witthaus with a long shot and Madeline Gust from a penalty brought the gap back to three before half-time (5‑8), and Gust also made it 6‑8 straight after the break.

Germany got no closer. Holik made it 7‑11 and finished with four goals. Substitute Julia Strach scored from a penalty with her first action (9‑12), but shortly afterwards had to be helped off the court injured. In the final quarter the Czech Republic scored six in a row to 9‑18; Vojnova scored three of them and also reached four. Klara Novakova made it 12‑20 from a penalty, with which the Czech Republic won the final quarter 8‑3.

The Netherlands European champion

The Netherlands are European champions. In the final they beat Belgium 27‑12, after 10‑8 at half-time. Belgium were still ahead in the second quarter: Lisa Pauwels finished a run-in for 6‑6 and Lisa van Gorp hit a long shot for 6‑7, after which the Netherlands took a time-out. Fleur Hoek made it 10‑8 three seconds before half-time.

After the break Oranje steamrolled Belgium. The third quarter ended 9‑2, and from 15‑10 to 24‑10 the Netherlands scored nine in a row. Ran Faber was top scorer with six goals, Brett Zuijdwegt and Hoek scored four each. For Belgium, Joke van Maldeghem, Kian Amorgaste, Van Gorp and Yannick van Gucht each scored twice.

Daniëlle Boadi played despite the knee problems from the semi-final and scored twice after the break. In the final quarter the Netherlands substituted almost the entire team; substitute Rosalie Peet scored two long shots and Jorien Jordaan made it 27‑12. It was the last match of the European Championship.