Vipers edge closer to second place with straightforward win against Thüringer

Disposing of Thüringer on home court was not the hardest mission for strong teams in the Women’s EHF Champions League, but Vipers Kristiansand are slowly looking to become one of the powerhouses in the competition. The Norwegian side are now guaranteed at least the third place in the group with one round to go after their 29:21 win against Thüringer, their second biggest win ever in the European premium competition.

• Winning a point next week against Györ will secure Vipers second place in the group
• The three first choice backs, Silje Waade, Henny Reistad and Linn Sulland, scored five goals each for Vipers
• Thüringer will definitely finish last in the main round, irrespective of the final round’s results. It is the fourth time in five years that the German side finished sixth

GROUP 2

Thüringer HC (GER) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) 21:29 (9:17)

A win would have definitely improved Vipers’ chances to claim second place in the group, but the Norwegian side would not be sure of it before the end of the last game against Györ.

But Vipers did their job thoroughly on Sunday, when they easily disposed of a Thüringer side that has failed to win since November in the Champions League.

The Norwegian side was firing from all cylinders in the first ten minutes of the game, jumping to a 6:1 lead, as the hosts’ defence could not stop the powerful attack, which saw five different players scoring. It went from bad to worse for Thüringer, who scored only two times in the first 17 minutes, as a sixty-seven per cent shot efficiency helped the guests extend their lead to 10:3. With backs Silje Waade and Henny Reistad in superb form, combining for eight goals, Vipers continued to control the game and had a 17:9 lead at the break.

Thüringer’s young backs Alicia Stolle and Emily Bölk failed to score a goal despite combining for 11 shots in the first 35 minutes, as Vipers marched on. A thirty-six per cent attacking efficiency from Thüringer was never going to threaten a comeback, despite six goals scored by Bölk in the last 25 minutes, therefore it was no surprise that Vipers took another convincing win, 29:21. The Norwegian side will host Györ next week, while Thüringer travel to CSM in their final game of the season in the competition.