Important points to earn

Supported by newly-appointed coach Anja Andersen, Oltchim stopped the top team of Budućnost in its tracks in the opening round of the new phase of the EHF Champions League.

In all the other games, the favourites triumphed, although their opponents staged some battling performances. This was especially the case for German champions Leipzig, who gave Larvik a hard fight over the whole 60 minutes.

Round 2 will see new pairings, and as the competition is so tight this season, four exciting games are promised to women’s handball fans.

Group 1

Itxako Reyno De Navarra (ESP) vs. Oltchim Rm. Vâlcea (ROU)
Saturday 12 February 2011, 19:00 hrs (local time)

Last weekend Oltchim defeated and stopped the dominant team of the Group Phase – Budućnost, whilst Itxako’s team lost in Ljubljana and now needs to collect points to remain in the competition for a semi-final place.

The Spaniards looked very unstable in the first round game against Krim Ljubljana and had no chance to surprise the Slovenians. Ambros Martín’s team suffered from the fast game plan of Krim and struggled too much in defence.

“We have a tough Spanish championship going on besides the EHF Champions League. After all the connecting travels within the country and to European games, my players looked tired,” the coach analyzed after the loss.

Despite the clear defeat Martín has great aims with his team: “It’s our first time in the Main Round and we have set our targets. To reach them we’ll have to improve greatly to compete with the Romanian champion.”

Indeed, Oltchim won their starter and secured two important points in the epic home clash against the so-far unbeaten Montenegrin number one from Podgorica.

Tolnai and her team-mates looked marvellous in defence. The team has only conceded 20 goals, which is a great defensive achievement. And great defence is also a trademark of Vâlcea’s new coach Anja Andersen. The Dane was surprisingly named as the team’s new coach prior to the Main Round opener.

“It’s a real surprise to everyone that she replaced Péter Kovács, and no one knows what will happen in Vâlcea in the coming months,” the Itxako coach commented.

As a coach, Andersen implemented a strong defensive style at both Slagelse and FCK, and her winning matches were often low-scoring affairs.

Nevertheless there is still a lot of work ahead of Oltchim, as the players did not look too well in attack and their superstar Cristina Neagu gave a rather inconsistent performance.

There is already continuous talk about Andersen among the handball-loving community in the city of Râmnicu Vâlcea and everyone is looking forward with great excitement to the next chapter of 'Andersen’s tales'.

Whether Anja’s revolution will bring its sought-after spoils, an EHF Champions League victory, we will see in the upcoming months.

Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) vs. RK Krim Ljubljana (SLO)
Sunday 13 February 2011, 19:30 hrs (local time)

After six straight victories Budućnost lost their first points in the competition, whilst Krim beat their Spanish opponent and arrive in Montenegro with two points in the bank.

It won’t be a walkover for the Slovenian champion to secure another victory, as the team around shooter Popović wish to make amends for the defeat Budućnost suffered in Romania.

Dragan Adžić’s team lost in a tight game and even though they had chances to draw, his side returned home without any points. Now, the whole team burns for success and wants to deliver a better game to satisfy their loyal fans in the Morača Sports Center.

Last weekend, Adžić relied more on his back court line, and the wingers didn’t have many possibilities to score. This will surely change against Krim, as Marta Bon’s team uses a quick game plan. A real handball spectacle is expected with tense and fast play on both sides.

The Slovenian coach was satisfied with the result against Itxako, although Bon would like to minimise the amount of mistakes in their game. In the early phase of the match, Lekić & Co. looked disorganized in defence, but this improved as the game went on.

Krim’s new reinforcements, the ex-Olimpija players and Swiss pivot Ariane Geissmann, had a successful debut at home. But now a tougher match will await both them and the established Ljubljana players.

A great burden will fall on Andrea Lekić’s shoulders against Adžić’s team. The 23-year-old Serbian international was unstoppable last week, and with 8 goals she became top scorer and match winner in her home arena.

The Budućnost defence will have to neutralize her if they are to win comfortably, before heading to Estella in Spain for the team’s third round match.

Group 2

Larvik HK (NOR) vs. Dinamo Volgograd (RUS)
Saturday 12 February 2011, 17:45 hrs (local time)

Larvik will need a much better team performance against the Russians compared to last weekend, as Dinamo want to surprise and collect their first points in the Main Round.

Victor Ryabykh’s team looked exhausted in the opener and without any breathtaking ideas they lost two important points at home.

The Russian champions had a tough schedule in the national championship in January, as they played a league match every four days. Long bus journeys, coupled with some strong opponents resulted in some very tired players. They seemed lack-lustre on court, and didn’t show their trademark virtuosity.

"We tried to give everything, but our key players were very tired and our game plan was not good enough to compete with the Hungarians," analyzed Ryabykh.

"We made several errors, but this loss is not a tragedy. Life goes on and we will keep fighting to reach our target, the semi-final," added the coach.

Dinamo will be without Olga Levina again, as she is still recovering from the injury she suffered in a league match against Zvezda Zvenigorod.

Tatiana Khmyrova returned last weekend after a one-month break, but she is still not in top shape yet, although she’s improving with every game.

The scoring qualities and the virtuosity of Anna Kochetova will both be needed to beat Larvik, as the Norwegian champion looks to have a very strong squad.

Recently however, the Norwegians had massive problems when beating Leipzig. They won each half by a single goal, celebrating a tight 2-goal victory. "We were surprised by the great qualities of Leipzig," said Heidi Løke.

The change of coach is still affecting Larvik somewhat, and an improved performance will be needed before next weekend’s real 'Battle of the Titans' against Győr. All focus now is on Dinamo, though.

In a dress rehearsal, Larvik recently beat Nordstrand by 15 goals in the Norwegian championship and wing player Amanda Kurtovic made her debut in that game.

"We must work harder with our finishing before the EHF Champions League match on Saturday. We cannot afford to miss many chances against Dinamo. At the same time, I think we’re getting together well," admitted coach Tor Odvar Moen.

Top scorer was, once again, the magnificent Heidi Løke. "Heidi shows how effective she is and she could actually have received more passes to work with," continued Moen.

Løke will again be the key figure in Larvik’s game and Dinamo need to find a working recipe to defend against her, or it’ll be very tough to compete with the home side.

Audi ETO Győr (HUN) vs. HC Leipzig (GER)
Sunday 13 February 2011, 18:15 hrs (local time)

The Hungarians looked very strong in Russia, as did Leipzig against the Norwegian champion. However the hard work only paid-off for Győr, as they collected two points, but Leipzig lost after their tough fight.

Nevertheless, the German champion produced a top class performance and Larvik were surprised by the great strength of Leipzig. "It was our best defence in this season," commented their marvellous goalkeeper Katja Schülke. The 26-year-old was the best player for the German side, saving, among other shots, 5 penalties.

Other main pillars of the game were Ania Rösler, Karolina Kudlacz and Anne Müller. The latter showed an incredible performance in both defence and attack.

Those are also the key players in the eyes of AUDI ETO pivot Simona Spiridon: "Leipzig’s back line was on top last weekend. That’s the strongest part of their team."

"Their pivot, Müller, has a lot of international experience and has a great understanding with the back players. If we can break the co-operation between them, then our game will be much more effective," the Austrian international added.

Leipzig may lack world class players, but Heine Jensen’s team is always highly motivated. "We will not underestimate them, as we know that they’re a good team. They use a fast game plan and stand well in defence," the Győr pivot added thoughtfully.

The Hungarians started well in the Main Round, beating Dinamo Volgograd in most impressive manner. Both attack and defence worked well, although some mistakes happened during the game.

"Despite the technical mistakes I have to praise the team’s fighting spirit, as we stayed strong in the dying minutes and didn’t allow the Russians to turn the game," concluded coach Csaba Konkoly.

Győr returned home with two points in their pocket, but they also suffered three small injuries, to goalkeeper Katalin Pálinger, defensive specialist Àgnes Hornyák and middle back Anikó Kovacsics.

However, all three will be ready for the first home game of the team in the Magvassy Mihály Arena in Győr.

The EHF Women's Champions League game of Main Round Group 2, Györi AUDI ETO KC (HUN) vs. HC Leipzig (GER) on Sunday, 13 February 2011 at 18:15 hrs (local time) will be broadcast live on our free-of-charge web stream on ehfTV.com.

A new media guide for the EHF Women's Champions League is available, covering statistics, all eight remaining teams, their latest transfers and more. It can be downloaded at the EHF Media Downloads.