Quarter-finals starting grid complete

All three double-matches of the Women´s Challenge Cup Last 16 scheduled for the last weekend turned into one-sided encounters as all hosts qualified by ten or more goals difference in the aggregate score.

HBC Nimes easily qualified through Spartak Kiev as the former double winners of this competition (2001 and 2009) gave no chance to Ukrainian dream about the revival of the past glory years with 13 European club titles. Chloe Bulleux scored 15 goals in total in 39:16 and 39:13 wins.

Two matches in Istanbul, Turkey had a very similar scenario as the home team Üsküdar B.S.K. blew away FETA EPIRUS Anagennisi Artas from Greece 33:24 and 37:10. In the second match the Turkish side nearly achieved a clean sheet in the first half (10:1).

In Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina the home team ŽRK Zrinjski lost the second match against Macedonian ŽRK Kumanovo 29:31, but having won the first leg 30:18 this setback could not stop them making way to the quarter-finals.

After a six goal win in Serbia in another ex-Yugoslavian derby over home team ŽRK Maks-Sport Nova Pazova, Croatia´s Fantasyland Samobor lost the second leg on the home court, but one-goal setback 21:22 could not endanger their ticket to the next stage.

Jasmina Djapanović led Sweden´s H 65 Höör to another convincing victory over Succes Schoonmaak/VOC from the Netherlands 33:26 and to the top eight of the competition. The Serbian sharpshooter increased her tally to 25 goals in two matches.

Three clubs - AZS Politechnika Koszalin, KSS Kielce (both from Poland) and Baník Most (Czech Republic) already clinched their quarter-finals berths over the the first weekend.

The draw of the Women´s Challenge Cup Quarter-finals will take place on Tuesday, 12 February at the EHF office in Vienna at 11:00 hrs local time. As there will be no seeding at the draw, all teams will be drawn from the same pot. In this draw, the country protection rule will not be applied: two clubs from the same country may face each other in the next round.

Directly after the quarter-finals draw, the semi-finals draw will be carried out as well.

Further information
Find all results of the Women´s Challenge Cup Last 16 here