BV Borussia 09 Dortmund’s hot start to the season — a three-game unbeaten run — was one of the hot topics of the DELO EHF Champions League, but on Saturday evening Rostov-Don handed the German champions their second loss in a row, 37:27. 

GROUP A
Rostov-Don (RUS) vs BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) 37:27 (17:11)

• Rostov jumped to an early 11:4 lead, with centre back Grace Zaadi Deuna and left wing Polina Kuznetsova combining for eight goals
• as Rostov's attack converted at a rate of 66 per cent, Dortmund’s under par attack of 53 per cent was their undoing
• this was Rostov’s second-best outing in terms of goals scored in the DELO EHF Champions League, five goals shy of their 42-goal record against Podravka last season
• Rostov had 11 different players score at least one goal during the game. Defence specialist Anna Lagerquist was the only court player who failed to score
• after starting the group phase with a three-game unbeaten streak, Dortmund suffered their second loss in a row

Rostov’s excellent defence pays dividends

There was much talk about Rostov’s defence at the start of the season and, by the looks of it, it was truly justified. As the Russian side’s chemistry is improving on a game-by-game basis, they surely look menacing after conceding only 66 goals in their last three games.

Against Dortmund, their attack also scored the most goals this season – 37. While the German champions are faltering, Rostov-Don look on the up, with the gap starting to open at the top of the group.