GROUP A REVIEW: Team Esbjerg trailed by three goals with four minutes to go, yet they mounted a superb comeback to beat CSM Bucuresti
Team Esbjerg and CSM Bucuresti went back and forth throughout their DELO EHF Champions League group A match in the Blue Water Dokken on Sunday, but a fantastic 4:0 run in the last four minutes sealed a 22:21 win for the Danish side.
GROUP A
Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU) 22:21 (13:10)
- as CSM’s captain and top scorer in the past three seasons of the DELO EHF Champions League, Cristina Neagu, failed to score a goal, Esbjerg jumped to a 13:10 lead at the break
- however, CSM’s superior shooting efficiency worked wonders at the start of the second half, with the Romanian champions engineering a 5:1 run to turn the game on its head
- CSM goalkeeper Jelena Grubisic had an outstanding game, saving 16 shots for a 43 per cent save efficiency
- in a dramatic finish, two consecutive goals from right wing Marit Røsberg Jacobsen sealed the win for Esbjerg
- Esbjerg's second win in seven games against CSM could prove crucial for the Danish side this season
CSM fade in the final minutes
The loss will have sent shockwaves through CSM’s system, but it was just the poetic justice that handball sometimes likes to serve. In September 2020, Cristina Neagu sealed CSM’s 30:29 win on Esbjerg’s court in the last second of the game.
This time around, Esbjerg avenged the defeat and secured the win against the Romanian side, courtesy of a 4:0 run to end the game. Esbjerg duly took advantage of Cristina Neagu making five technical errors and scoring only twice from six shots.
TEXT:
Adrian Costeiu