Handball - Women's European Cups
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Today will start Group Phase of Champion's League.
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Dinamo Volgograd - Buducnost 22-29.
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Zveźda Zvenigorod - Gyori AUDI ETO KC 31-28.
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Zvezda Zvenigorod - RK Krim 32-37.
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Dinamo Volgograd - IK Savehof 37-26.
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Match Day 3 will bring you eight exciting matches, and three of last
year’s semi-finalists, Vâlcea, Győr, and Viborg need greatly improved
performances to secure points in their away games. Here is our complete
preview of all of this weekend's matches: -
Group A
Dinamo Volgograd (RUS) - Viborg HK (DEN)
Each club has two points in the bank, and in this
game they both aim for a victory to be in good position for reaching the
Main Round before the second stage of the Group Phase.Reigning champion Viborg disappointed their home
crowd last weekend when the team of coach Jakob Vestergaard was
humiliated by 9 goals. Not much worked out for the Danish side that
evening. The players had massive problems with Budućnost’s attack, and
they made mistake after mistake, whilst the Montenegrins played at the
highest possible level. Viborg has several injured players (Cristina
Vărzaru, Anja Althaus and Mouna Chebbah) before the crucial game in
Volgograd, and as Vestergaard said: "A much better game is needed if we
are to remain in contention for the CL".The home team of Dinamo is known for being a strong
force in its own hall, so they await a win in a tough game against the
title holder. Volgograd’s back line, with Khmyrova and Kochetova, worked
very well against IK Sävehof. Those two players scored 20 goals between
them and were the main pillars for Dinamo’s first points of the CL
campaign. Dinamo’s game is slowly taking shape this season, and coach
Victor Ryabykh hopes for even more improvement against Viborg.The EHF Women's Champions League game of Group A,
Dinamo Volgograd (RUS) vs. Viborg HK (DEN) on Sunday 24 October 2010 at
14:00 hrs (local time) will be broadcast live on our free-of-charge web
stream at ehfTV.com.IK Sävehof (SWE) - BudućnostPodgorica (MNE)
Budućnost, with the maximum of four points from their
first two games, aim for a clear victory against CL debutant Sävehof in
Partille, Sweden.To remain focused for the team’s third game,
Budućnost decided to stay in Scandinavia to prepare well for IK Sävehof.
The easy victory against Viborg came as a surprise to most observers,
but the team of Dragan Adžić played at their highest possible level and
super-star Bojana Popović successfully analyzed the title holder. With
her extra motivation and Budućnost’s improved game plan, the club looks
for its third victory, this time in Sweden.Despite losing by 11 goals in Russia, the Swedes
scored 26 goals in the away game, and this improved performance in
attack is something to build upon for the future. However, the Balkan
team remains the clear favourite and it would be a big surprise if
Sävehof stole even a point from the classy Montenegrins. -
Group B
HC Leipzig (GER) – Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT)
The dominant Germans aim for another win to maintain
their perfect record at the halfway point of the CL Group Stage, whilst
Hypo NÖ need their first point(s) to remain in the competition.The fortunes of the two teams have changed
dramatically in recent seasons. Record-winner Hypo NÖ now work with a
very young, reinforced team, and with those young players lacking CL
routine, this means more responsibility for the experienced Ale
Nascimento and co. In addition, the Austrians have been cursed with
injuries, so they’ll have to use the same squad as in the first two
rounds. It’ll be interesting to see how long they’ll be able to cope
with the quick game of their opponent.Leipzig is the clear favourite on home soil as they
look to secure two more points by capitalising on their team unity and
the fast-paced game plan that coach Heine Jensen has devised for these
matches. Leipzig have worked hard to become a very close-knit team, and
this team unity will probably result in three victories from three games
in Group B.
DVSC-Korvex (HUN) - Itxako Reyno De Navarra (ESP)With only two points each so far, both teams are aiming for a second victory in the next round of the CL campaign.
The home team of Debrecen will need an improved
performance compared to the second round game in Leipzig, where they had
no chance to upset the Germans. The weakness of DVSC is that the team
has, so far, been unable to play consistently well for the whole 60
minutes. Coach Vilmos Köstner is working on this problem, and if he can
inspire them, his team could surprise Spanish team Itxako. Line player
and defensive specialist Rita Borbás is out with a hand injury, but the
rest of squad is ready for the clash against the aggressive Spaniards. A
big advantage for DVSC will be their local hall "Hódos", which is
guaranteed to be well filled and loud.On the other hand, Itxako, the strongly-fancied team
with the best squad in Group B comes to Hungary with much
self-confidence. The team of Coach Martín Ambros collected two points in
Austria against Hypo NÖ in a most impressive manner. His players acted
freshly, with a feeling of strength, and seemed much sharper than those
of their opponent. Sunday’s game is not expected to be an easy one for
the Spaniards. It’ll be a tough game with a great atmosphere, and a real
handball spectacle for the visitors. -
Group C
Randers HK (DEN) - Toulon Saint Cyr Var Handball (FRA)
Danish Randers aim for another two points at home to
remain in the race for a spot among the best 8 teams in the CL
competition. Toulon, on the other hand, wishes to earn its first CL
points this season.To secure a victory in their home game, the Danes
will need the performance of Match Day 1 and not Match Day 2. Against
Larvik, they struggled a lot. The team had massive problems and wasn’t
focused on the game plan that the coach had prepared, which resulted in a
big defeat.Newcomer Toulon is still without points in the EHF
Champions League and for the team of Thierry Vincent it’ll be a tough
clash in Denmark. However, the coach is not dissatisfied with the two
defeats so far. In his opinion "the results of the first two rounds are
realistic and experience will come from the sequence of games". For
Toulon nothing remains but to collect CL experience in the next four
rounds. Who knows, with a good game plan, his young team could collect
one or two points.Larvik HK (NOR) - C.S. "Oltchim" Rm. Vâlcea (ROU)
In the top game of the weekend, the Norwegian ‘national team’ is to meet the Romanian ‘national team’.
Of course this is not strictly true, but both
national teams employ several players from each of these clubs, so an
exciting handball event with top stars is expected in the Arena Larvik.
Larvik is currently dominating the Group C table and after the high
class game they produced last weekend against Randers, everything is on
their side for another victory. The team of Karl-Erik Bøhn played at
full capacity, and every player contributed her utmost to the game so
that a well-deserved victory was celebrated on home soil.To perform that well against their Romanian
counterpart won’t be so easy, as the Vâlcea players will try to stop the
Norwegians from repeating last weekend’s performance. The team of Péter
Kovács is trying to prepare with discipline and intelligence for this
crucial match, but the Romanian finalist of last season is under
pressure. They have already lost a game on Match Day 1 and they
desperately want to make amends in Norway.
The EHF
Women's Champions League top game of Group C, Larvik HK (NOR) vs. C.S.
Oltchim Rm. Vâlcea (ROM) on Saturday 23 October 2010 at 17:15 hrs (local
time) will be broadcast live on our free-of-charge web stream on ehfTV.com. -
Group D
Zvezda Zvenigorod (RUS) - HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO)
Russian
Zvezda aim for their second victory on home soil, whilst Podravka hope
for a repeat of their quality performance against Győr.Despite scoring 32 goals in an away game, Zvenigorod
coach Evgeny Trefilov was very disappointed with his team’s defence in
Round 2 of the Champions League. The Russians conceded 37 goals and this
was far too many for former defensive specialist Trefilov. In the game
against the Croats he’ll again rely on 20 year old Anna Sen, the
youngster who scored an incredible 14 goals in two games, and thus made a
great debut in the Zvezda uniform.Podravka on the other hand, lost in a very unlucky
way against Győr. The team of Neven Hrupec produced its best performance
so far in the CL campaign, but this still wasn’t enough for a point in
Hungary. Now he wants a performance of similar quality from his players
in Russia and the possibility of earning the first point(s) which could
be vital for staying in the competition after half-time of the Group
Phase.The EHF Women's Champions League game of Group D,
Zvezda Zvenigorod (RUS) vs. HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) on Sunday 24
October 2010 at 16:00 hrs (local time) will be broadcast live on our
free-of-charge web stream on ehfTV.com.
RK Krim (SLO) - Győri AUDI ETO KC (HUN)The two favourites of Group D meet in a tough clash,
with Krim wanting to retain their 100% record, and AUDI ETO feeling the
pressure after beating Podravka, with some difficulty, last weekend.The Hungarians had a hard time in Round 2 of the CL.
Despite leading with a bigger margin in the second half, their Croatian
opponent fought hard and the team of Csaba Konkoly struggled to win the
game. For the crucial game in Ljubljana, the Brazilian international
Eduarda Amorim is back, but AUDI ETO will still need a more focused
defence, and a good game plan against the fast-paced handball of Krim.With 72, the team of Marta Bon has scored the most
goals in the CL campaign so far. Bon’s quick game plan paid off in the
first two games and the coach hopes for a victory in the new Dvorana
Stožice arena to secure the best position in the group before the
two-week break. In their Round 3 match Krim will miss line player
Dragana Cvijić, who tore ligaments against Zvezda and is possibly out
for six months. Despite Cvija’s injury, Krim will go all-out to beat the
Hungarians, who are undefeated in their last six duels. -
Dinamo Volgograd – Viborg HK 41:33 (20:15)
The downhill race of reigning
champion Viborg HK is going on: After being defeated by Budućnost on
home ground last weekend the Danes took another clear defeat in Russia
and now rank with only two points below Volgograd (4). Anna Kochetova
was the key player of the Russian champion
with outstanding 17 goals, Olga Levina scored eight times. Grit Jurack
and Rikke Skov scored seven times for Viborg in an – from the Danish
point of view surprisingly - one-sided match. The Russians were dominant
nearly the whole 60 minutes, Viborg could only hope for a better end,
when they had reduced the gap to 33:36. But as Anja Althaus received a
disqualification, the Russians went on to a clear victory, that opens
the gate for them to the Main Round, whilst VHK have to fight hard due
to this clear goal difference against the direct opponent. -
Zvezda Zvenigorod – Podravka Koprivnica 29:26 (11:14)
By an absolute improvement after
the break and in total of 20 goals by the trio Postnova, Sen (each 7)
and Kuznetsova (6) the Russian runner-up secured two highly important
points for the Main Round. Like in Round 1 and 2 Koprivnica was a very
strong opponent, but still the Croats wait for their first points. Top
scorer for the guests was Pasicnik with six goals. Thanks to this
victory Zvezda is equal in points with Györ and Krim now, as all have
four on their account. For Koprivnica the chances to reach the Main
Round have become very small after the half of the group matches. The
Croats were the stronger team in the first 30 minutes, before the
Russian defence improved – Koprivnica only scored 12 goals after the
break. On the other hand Postnova led her team that took the lead in
minute 36 at the score of 18:17. The match was decided at the score of
26:22. -
Larvik in Group C and Podgorica in Group A are the
first teams to have qualified for the Main Round after a fourth straight
victory. Larvik had no problems against Randers, and Budućnost may have
ended the hopes of reigning CL champion Viborg with another clear
victory.In Group B, Itxako and Leipzig have the best chances
of reaching the next stage with six points each, the same as Krim and
Győr in Group D. All of those teams won their matches in Round 4 this
weekend. In Group A, the fate of Dinamo Volgograd now rests in its own
hands, as the team is four points ahead of Viborg. In Group C, Vâlcea
had to struggle hard in Toulon, but thanks to their victory, the
Romanians are in second place. -
Group A:
IK Sävehof – Dinamo Volgograd 30:35 (17:16)
Extremely tough work for 60 minutes, followed by
intense celebrations after the final whistle: Dinamo Volgograd is close
to the Main Round - but still has two tough duels ahead against Viborg
and Podgorica. In those games, the Russian champion must really prove
its strength. For Sävehof, still without points, it is clear that they
will not progress further in this season`s CL. The game was incredibly
close for 54 minutes, and neither team could open-up more than a
two-goal gap.The more-favoured Russians had problems with their
attack as the Swedish champion adjusted its tactics. Volgograd missed
its last chance in the first half - a free throw at the final whistle -
to reach a draw after 30 minutes. The Sävehof lead didn`t last long,
however, as Volgograd improved its attack. Even so, the Swedes were
still on a par with the Russians. In the 54<sup>th</sup> minute, the
score was 29:30, but the Russians finished stronger. A Sävehof time-out
at 29:31 didn`t bring the Swedes back on track, as Volgograd won the
game by a five-goal margin.Budućnost Podgorica – Viborg HK 32:24 (16:17)
Budućnost Podgorica not only remained
unbeaten, but it really shook the confidence of Viborg. As the team from
Montenegro qualified for the Main Round with this well-deserved
victory, the reigning champion is close to failure.To go on to the next stage, the Danes have
to hope for a Podgorica victory against Volgograd, whilst also winning
both of their own matches - including the game against Dinamo by a
margin of at least nine goals.Hard weeks lie ahead for VHK, but big
celebrations are underway in Podgorica. After an even first half, the
team of coach Dragan Adžić decided the game with its robust defence and
the massive pressure that their back-court players placed upon Viborg.The hopes were high for the Danes as they led at the
break, but it only took the next ten minutes to break their resistance
completely. After Budućnost had scored a 7:1 series to make it 23:18,
the morale vanished from the VHK squad, and Podgorica cut through them
like a hot knife through butter. The biggest gap was 30:21 in the 51<sup>st</sup> minute, and by then the game had already been decided. -
Group B:
DVSC-Korvex Debrecen – HC Leipzig 19:20 (8:11)
This was a nail-biting game until the final
second, but then the German champion celebrated its third victory,
which opens the gate widely to the Main Round - even though they had to
replace some key players.
Debrecen remains on two points, as does
Hypo, and they have to hope that Itxako or Leipzig slip-up in the final
two rounds. The match was full of emotion and tension, but also full of
mistakes from both sides. Leipzig was in the lead for most of the match,
but couldn`t escape from the Hungarians, who were supported by a great
fan-base in Debrecen.
Despite some early suspensions, Leipzig took
advantage of its early 3:0 lead to remain ahead at the break. At the
re-start, HCL extended their lead to four goals (13:9) for the only time
in the match. As Debrecen`s goalkeeper, Èva Kiss, improved, and the
number of Leipzig mistakes increased, the match was close to becoming
even, as HCL was leading 18:15 in the 46<sup>th</sup> minute. Debrecen equalized to make it 18:18 and 19:19 in the thrilling final stage of the match. 70
seconds before the end, Ania Rösler gave HCL the lead at 20:19, and
then both teams missed with their attacks. Top scorers were Sopronyi
(Debrecen) and Ulbricht (Leipzig) with each six goals.Itxako Reyno de Navarra (ESP) – Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT) 23:21 (11:7)
With their
third consecutive victory the Spanish champion from Estella made a great
step towards the Main Round and kept the lead in Group B with six
points. But this time Hypo was - in contrast to the first match (19:30) -
an opponent on eye level and showed some great improvement to their
previous games. The match was
equal over the whole 60 minutes, Hypo could count on two strong
goalkeepers with 50 percent saved shots. Itxako played as real team unit
and nearly all of its players scored. The returning Macarena Aguilar
and Carmen Martín were the top scorers of the host with five goals each,
whilst do Nascimento scored six times for the guests. With their third
victory in four games the Spaniards kept their favourite role in the
group, and Hypo, ranked third at the moment, can still go on to the Main
Round despite only one win up to now.On Sunday Hungarian Debrecen will host Leipzig and try to take revenge for the defeat in Germany.
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Group C:
Randers HK – Larvik HK 20:38 (13:20)
Larvik HK was the first of the 16
participants to qualify for the Main Round of the Women`s Champions
League. This clear result was its fourth straight victory, and with
eight points, the Norwegian champion cannot be overtaken by their
opponents, even though two rounds remain.Randers had to replace several key players
due to injuries and didn`t stand a chance against the "Norwegian storm",
even though Larvik were without injured star Gro Hammerseng. Randers
took an early time-out as Larvik raced to a 10:5 lead, but nothing
changed, as the Norwegians played some brilliant fast breaks and their
line-player Heidi Løke was very strong.Top scorer was Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth with eight
goals. After the break, Randers lost their rhythm, their power, their
concentration, and finally, the match, by an even bigger score than in
the first game in Larvik (19:33). The Danes - still with only two
points - need victories in Vâlcea and in Toulon to keep their Main Round
dreams alive.Toulon Saint Cyr Var– Oltchim Vâlcea 22:26 (13:13)
Back on track: After two defeats and some discussion
about the future of coach Péter Kovács, last season’s finalist, Oltchim
Vâlcea, showed an important sign of life against the brave French
champion. With four points on their account, the Romanians secured
second place in their group, ahead of Randers and Toulon (each with
two).With a victory against Randers on home soil and a
parallel victory or a draw of Larvik against Toulon, Vâlcea would follow
the Norwegians next weekend. The match in Toulon was mostly even
despite the fact that Vâlcea was leading for most of the time. Neagu,
Elisei (each with five goals), Stanca and Vizitiu (each with four goals)
were the key players for the Romanians. On the other side, Mwasesa was
top scorer of the match with ten goals.Right after the break, Toulon was leading 15:13,
before Vâlcea scored six straight goals. But the Toulon resistance
wasn’t broken until the 19:20 stage, after which the visitors had more
will-power in the final stage of the game. -
Group D:
Zvezda Zvenigorod – RK Krim Ljubljana 28:32 (7:19)
Krim, with 6 points, retained its good position in
Group D, and is heading towards the Main Round after this highly
decisive victory in Russia. Zvezda remains on four points after being
outclassed by Krim – something which is not reflected in the rather
generous final scoreline.The Russian runner-up has to win both of its last
matches against Podravka and Győr to be sure of reaching the next CL
stage. A brilliant defence, and the outstanding goalkeeper Jelena
Grubisić (23 saves), were the key factors for Krim. The Slovenians
really shocked their host in the first half, as Zvezda couldn’t break
through the "Krim wall". In attack, the Slovenian champion waited
patiently for its chances – and had effectively decided the game after
30 minutes with a surprising twelve-goal difference.Zvezda coach Evgeny Trefilov found the right words
during the break – but the gap was too big to turn the match
completely. In the end it was only a four-goal margin, but it was
obvious that Krim would be declared the winner by the 45th minute. Top
scorers were Kuznetsova with nine goals for Zvezda, and Varlec, with
seven for Ljubljana.Krim need at least a victory in the next match
against Podravka to be absolutely sure of the Main Round. Zvezda needs
victories against Győr and Podravka to avoid their third straight
failure after the Group Phase.Podravka Koprivnica- Audi ETO Győr 24:35 (10:19)
With their third straight victory, Győr
(after losing the opener against Zvenigorod) is close to the next stage
as Podravka remain without points after the fourth Round. Eight goals
from Görbicz (showing a world class performance), and seven from Vérten,
paved the way to this impressive result for the Hungarian champion.Győr took the lead right at the start, extended it to
15:7, and 19:10 at the break. In the 42nd minute, the margin was ten
goals for the first time at the score of 24:14, and despite eight goals
from Pušić, the Hungarians maintained the gap. If Győr takes at least
one point against Zvezda it will qualify for the Main Round.