Playing at home against Buducnost, CSKA maintained their perfect record in the DELO EHF Champions League in 2021. The Russian side won 27:23 and celebrated their sixth victory in a row.

That success saw CSKA retake the leading position in the group B, and next Saturday, even a draw at Györ will be enough for them to finish on top.

CSKA (RUS) vs Buducnost (MNE) 27:23 (12:10)

• neither side could score for the opening five and a half minutes before Ekaterina Ilina finally netted for CSKA
• Buducnost led just once, 2:1 early in the match, before CSKA took things under control; Polina Vedekhina’s five goals helped the home side to a two-goal lead at the break
• six minutes from full-time, CSKA led by eight goals, 26:18, before a 5:1 run helped Buducnost to close the gap
• the Moscow-based team had to do without their captain Darya Dmitrieva, who is sidelined for about three weeks after a knee injury earlier this week
• Buducnost’s coach Bojana Popovic, who had missed the previous match against Györ, was back on the bench, but her team lost and stay in fifth place with 10 points

Masson does it again

Chana Masson had played a big role in CSKA’s both recent wins against HC Podravka Vegeta, and now the 42-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper again stood like a wall in the match with Balkan rivals.

She recorded 15 saves for a 44 per cent save rate and notably outperformed fellow Brazilian Barbara Arenhart, who stopped eight shots for Buducnost.