Things get clearer in Groups B and D, everything to play for in Group CArticle
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ROUND REVIEW: While Nantes, Kastamonu and Siófok improved their winning runs in Groups B and D, the battle for the quarter-finals is a four-team affair in Group C, after Thüringer won against Storhamar, 41:36
 

Nantes earned their third win in a row, 25:21, against MKS Perla Lublin, to inch closer to a quarter-finals berth in Group B, while Kastamonu secured their second win in a row against HC Lada to stay in the hunt for the second place.

However, in Group C, things have gotten more complicated, after Thüringer sealed their first win of the group, 41:36, against Storhamar. The Norwegian side’s chances of progression for the next phase of the competition are now relying on winning their last two games, against Baia Mare and Astrakhanochka.

Former Women’s EHF Cup winners, Siófok, are still unbeaten after four games, winning comfortably against Dunarea Braila, 31:24, to open a four-point gap at the top of the group.

Group B

Handball Club Lada (RUS) vs Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) 27:29 (13:14)

  • Kastamonu beat Lada in the second straight match, as in round 3 the Turkish side had won at home, 29:25
  • Kastamonu now have five points, while Lada suffered their third consecutive defeat and sit bottom of the group with two points
  • Lada were in front a few times between minutes 21 and 28, but otherwise the visitors were dominant throughout the match and cruised to a deserved victory
  • Veronika Nikitina scored seven goals for Lada, just as many as Kastamonu’s Amanda Kurtovic, who has become her team’s (joint) top scorer in each of four group matches

Nantes Atlantique Handball (FRA) vs MKS Perla Lublin (RUS) 25:21 (11:12)

  • Nantes claimed their third straight win and top the group with six points
  • Lublin, who lost both matches against Nantes, stay in third place with three points
  • the French side were down by one goal at half-time, but improved their defence in the second half to grab two points
  • in round 5, both sides will play on home court: Nantes against Lada, Lublin against Kastamonu

 

GROUP C

Thüringer HC (GER) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 41:36 (18:15)

  • German 18-year-old left back Arwen Ruhl was Thüringer’s top scorer, with 12 goals, after previously scoring only one goal in the previous two games of the group phase
  • after taking the first game between the two sides, 32:30, on Saturday, Storhamar boasted a 9:6 lead in the start of the match, but Thüringer bounced back with a 9:2 run inspired by Swedish right wing Emma Ekenman Fernis, who scored four of her 12 goals between the 14th and 23rd minutes
  • this was Thüringer’s highest-ever scoring game in European competitions, beating the previous record of 67 goals set in the DELO EHF Champions League against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in the 2018/19 season
  • only Vaci, who conceded 35 goals per game, have a more porous defence than Storhamar, which conceded at a 33 goals per game rate in the first four games of the season
  • Storhamar are still third in the group, tied with Astrakhanochka and Baia Mare with four points, as Thüringer are fourth, with two points

GROUP D

Siófok KC (HUN) vs H.C. Dunarea Braila (ROU) 31:24 (17:14)

  • the Hungarian side took the lead in the 10th minutes and never let the away team comeback
  • the difference increased in the second half when Braila did not score for ten minutes, while conceding seven goals
  • Siófok’s Croatian pivot, Katarina Jezic, was unstoppable and finished as the best scorer of the game with 8
  • with this triumph, the winner of 2019 Women’s EHF Cup, the predecessor of this series, Siófok stayed unbeaten and lead group D with seven points, while the Romanian club, C. Dunarea Braila, have three

Grigel and Placzek play key roles

While Nantes did well as a team, two of their players deserve a special credit. Lotte Grigel led the way in attack and become the top scorer of the match with seven goals, while Adriana Placzek did a good job in goal.

Placzek, a Pole playing for Nantes, had contributed a lot to her team’s win in the reverse fixture, and now she finished the match with 12 saves for a 36 per cent save rate.


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