Podravka claim the group matches berth

Ana Niksic and Miranda Tatari both scored six goals as HC Podravka Vegeta successfully secured their ticket in the Women's EHF Champions League following their convincing performance and a 28:24 win over Group 2 hosts Radnicki Kragujevac in the tournament's final.

Podravka will join WHC Vardar SCBT, Buducnost and Thüringer HC in Group B with the first round set for 17/18 October, while Radnicki will face U Jolidon Cluj from Romania in the third round of the Cup Winners' Cup.

FC Midtjylland successfully recovered and won the 3rd place match meaning they will meet Kuban Krasnodar from Russia in the third round, while their Nordic rivals Byasen Trondheim will have to start already in the second round versus WHC Danilovgrad from Montenegro.

Qualification Tournament 2 (Kragujevac, Serbia):

Final:

WHC Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) vs HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 24:28 (12:14)

After surviving a pressure-cooker in Kragujevac, Podravka are the ones celebrating. Following a 28:24 final win over the hosts Radnički Kragujevac the Croatian champions will join Germany's Thüringer HC and two participants of the first FINAL4 - Vardar and Buducnost in the Group B.

“We knew the perils of playing in this atmosphere,” said Podravka winger Ana Nikšić.

Radnički held its own in the game until the dying minutes of the first half, when Podravka put in the extra effort to come on top, despite prolific Milica Danilović who led Radnički’s attack with eight goals.

“Maybe we could’ve played a better defence, but we have a lot to be happy about for the future of this team,” said Radnički coach Aleksandar Radosavljević.

Radnički players were clearly too fatigued after their semi-final shocking win against FC Midtjylland to fight back in the second half. Miranda Tatari orchestrated Podravka’s game, as the Croats were cruising to victory with ten minutes until the final whistle.

“We’ve built our lead from the defence. Agressive defence was the base for our efficiency,” said Podravka coach Goran Mrđen about his gameplan, and rushed to praise Radnički goalkeeper Jelena Risović.

“Our efficiency looked endangered by Risović at times, making key saves to keep Radnički in the game.”

Podravka will now carry on with the festivities, celebrating their hard fought EHF Champions League place, with positive thoughts.

“We look forward to the experience of playing the tough group,” Podravka coach Goran Mrđen concluded.

Third place match:

FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs Byasen Trondheim (NOR) 28:24 (15:11)

FC Midtjylland were the more composed of the two teams, showing class to upstage young Byasen 28:24 (15:11) in an entertaining showcase of Scandinavian handball.

“I see today’s performance as an improvement to the semi-final game,” said FC Midtjylland coach Helle Thomsen.

After a tight affair in the opening minutes, highly motivated Danish powerhouse steamrolled over shaken Byasen to put the claim on the prize from early on, as Byasen had to cope with technical errors, missing a penalty in due course.

“We have a young team here, a few new players. This was a good experience and we look to build on this” Said Byasen Trondheim coach, Claus Leth Mogensen, predicting an exciting future for his team.

FC Midtjylland were allowed to play their fast-paced handball putting the game beyond doubt in the second half thanks to nine goals from Simone Rasmussen.

“It was difficult to prepare for today after missing out on the final, but I’m happy we managed to recover and win,” said FC Midtjylland coach Helle Thomsen.

“We hope to get back next season. It’s always a great experience playing in that competition,” added Thomsen.

Photo: Zoran Petrovic