It was the 12^th meeting between the two teams in European club competitions, and while FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria had won six matches, Buducnost claimed their fifth victory against their Hungarian opponents on Sunday afternoon, 22:19.

However, nothing is yet clear in this tie, as FTC will have a chance to fight back in the second leg match in Budapest on Saturday 13 March.

PLAY-OFF, FIRST LEG
Buducnost (MNE) vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) 22:19 (11:7)

• goals were few and far between in the opening 20 minutes. The sides were level at 5:5 in the 23rd minute.
• however, Buducnost had the upper hand late in the first half and led by four goals at half-time (11:7)
• thanks to Blanka Biro’s saves, FTC turned the tide and were up 16:14 midway through the second half, but they only scored three times in the last 12 minutes
• Jovanka Radicevic (seven goals) scored almost a third of her team’s tally
• Emily Bölk (five goals) was FTC's top scorer

Goalkeepers shine for both teams

In what was quite a low-scoring match, the goalkeepers for both teams had strong performances. Notably, Barbara Arenhart and Armelle Attingré recorded 16 saves in total, helping Buducnost to victory.

For FTC, Blanka Biro also played well, saving 15 shots for a 41 per cent save rate, yet her effort did not help her team get a positive result.