Resilient Baia Mare earn vital victory at Thüringer

HCM Baia Mare remain in contention for a quarter-final berth after prevailing in a tense finish at HC Thüringer, who are now rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point from six games.

Main Round - Round 2, Group 1

HC Thüringer (GER) vs Baia Mare (ROU) 23:25 (12:10)

An inspiring second half performance gave Baia Mare a precious win at Thüringer, as the Romanian side kept their hopes alive of reaching the next stage of Europe’s premier club competition.

The result lifted Baia Mare to fourth place in the section on four points from six games, level with fifth-placed, Fleury Loiret Handball, who play their game against the leaders of the group, Rostov-Don, on Sunday.

It was a captivating battle from start to finish and the visitors came out on top after Lois Abbingh and Melinda Geiger struck in the last 90 seconds, completing a remarkable second half comeback.

Roared on by a full house in Nordhausen, HC Thüringer raced into a 4:1 lead with their Romanian sharpshooter, Iulia Buceschi, rifling in three quick goals against her compatriots.

However, the visitors replied with three unanswered goals to set the stage for a tussle in the opening 30 minutes.

Thüringer again nosed ahead 7:5 only for Baia Mare to take a 9:8 lead as the first half headed for a frantic finish, in which the home side conjured a 4:0 run to galvanise their passionate supporters.

The German champions seemed to be heading for their first main round victory after opening up a 14:10 lead early in the second half, but Baia Mare then upped the tempo, as their star Brazilian winger, Alexandra Do Nascimento, turned on the heat.

Aided by Abbingh and Geiger, Do Nascimento led the charge as Baia Mare engineered an 18:17 advantage before the home team briefly retook the initiative and edging ahead 22:21 with a little over six minutes left.

Thüringer then appeared to run out of steam, as their rivals had more left in the tank for a fast-paced finish, with goalkeeper Paula Ungureanu, pulling off a crucial save in the final minute.

Do Nascimento led the winners with seven goals from nine shots, while Abbingh and Geiger added five goals each. Buceschi scored seven for Thüringer, but her valiant individual performance was not enough, as her teammates endured a difficult afternoon against a steely and rugged Baia Mare defence.