Sävehof hold Vardar as Buducnost rout Krim

Sunday’s doubleheader produced two contrasting fixtures as 2012 EHF Champions League winners Buducnost Podgorica blew away Slovenia’s Krim Mercator on home court, while FYR Macedonia’s emerging force Vardar were held to a thrilling draw in Partille.

Both games, however, offered a mixture of spectacular goals, superb goalkeeping as well as all the other thrills and spills which make the business end of Europe’s premier club competition a joy to watch.

Sävehof’s Jenny Alm emerged as the day’s most prolific scorer with nine goals while German goalkeeper Clara Woltering led Buducnost’s ironclad defence in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica. 

Group 1

IK Sävehof (SWE) vs WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD) 27:27 (15:15)

Swedish champions Sävehof were on the verge of springing a major upset for 55 minutes but then had to rescue a point from the jaws of defeat after Vardar came close to snatching what would have been a barely deserved win in a truly fascinating contest.

The Macedonian powerhouse took their first lead of the game in the final minute when Andrea Lekic, their top scorer with seven goals, beat Sävehof’s outstanding goalkeeper Fillipa Idehn with a delightful lob, but Jenny Alm then netted her ninth goal to draw level in a frantic finale.

Roared on by a vociferous crowd who galvanised the home side throughout the match with a gigantic drum, Sävehof raced into a 6:2 lead as the unstoppable Alm and fellow backcourt shooter Ida Oden tormented Vardar goalkeeper Amandine Leynaud from long range.

Sävehof held the upper hand until the closing stages of the first half, when the visitors redressed the balance thanks to the inspired Lekic and the French duo of Siraba Dembele and Allison Pineau.

The second period was a carbon copy of the first as Alm and Oden netted relentlessly, although Vardar’s second-choice keeper Inna Suslina, who had replaced Leynaud, pulled off a string of good saves including two penalty shots.

“Your defending is a disaster and so is your movement off the ball in attack,” Vardar coach Indira Kastratovic screamed at her players during a time-out as Sävehof appeared to be heading for a remarkable triumph when they led 22:18 midway through the second half.

But the home side ran out of steam in the last 10 minutes and committed a series of costly turnovers which allowed Vardar to erase the deficit once again and even come within striking distance of a smash-and-grab victory.

The visitors turned the match on its head as Tatiana Khmyrova, Pineau and Lekic netted in quick succession to put them in the driving seat, but Alm salvaged a well-deserved point for Sävehof with a last-gasp penalty.  

Group 2

Buducnost (MNE) vs RK Krim Mercator (SLO) 30:15 (13:6)

Buducnost were favourites to come out on top against Krim on home court after a fine performance in last weekend’s draw at holders Györ, but not even the most die-hard hard fans in the cauldron of their Moraca Hall could have expected a rout of such staggering proportions.

Two early goals by versatile right wing Marija Petrovic propelled the Montenegrin champions to a 3:0 lead and when Krim scored twice in a row to cut the deficit to 3:2, few could have imagined that would be as close as the visitors would come to avoiding a crushing defeat.

Petrovic continued to exploit gaping holes in Krim’s defence and there was clearly going to be only one outcome as pivot Dragana Cvijic and left back Cristina Neagu helped the incessant one-way traffic, aided by the home fans’ deafening roar from the terraces.

The advantage swelled to 11:4 and having maintained their seven-goal lead at the interval, Buducnost launched another onslaught early in the second half when they scored five goals without reply to vanquish any lingering hopes of a comeback the visitors might have nurtured.

The home side’s appetite for destruction was unabated and they romped to a hardly believable 25:9 lead with 10 minutes left on the clock, as the towering Woltering resembled a wall in front of her net while the goals kept raining in from all angles at the other end.

Woltering was treated to a standing ovation when she made way for Marta Zderic in the closing stages and Buducnost capped a memorable performance as right back Camilla Dalby unleashed a pair of long-range thunderbolts, prompting wild celebrations among the home team’s supporters.

Petrovic led a pack of five players who scored four goals each for Buducnost and Barbara Lazovic-Varlec managed as many for Krim, representing a lone beacon of light for the Slovenian title holders.