Virtually ‘all over’ before return tie

Muratpaşa Belediyesi SK – H.A.C. Handball 27:36 (13:18)

Everything seems to be already decided in the Challenge Cup, as pre-match favourites H.A.C. Handball of France celebrated a massive victory over their Turkish opponents and are on the winner's way before the return tie next Saturday (12th May).

Dominating the match from the early phase onwards, the away side was quickly ahead with 4:2 and 8:4, and the Turks had no answer.

Their only lead was in the first minute (1:0), and the French, led by the fantastic Alberto Nely, increased their lead minute-by-minute and had effectively cemented their victory by half-time.

For the hosts, key figure Serpil Iskenderoglu only scored three times in the match, and so the stronger H.A.C. Handball team was never in danger of letting their dominance slip through their fingers.

They held a 10-goal lead in the 39th minute and although the hosts tried to pull closer in the final 20 minutes, Paule Baudouin and her team-mates selected top gear for the decisive final minutes, meaning that the away side is in command ahead of the return tie in France.