Rostov-Don win first points against FCM

FC Midtjylland could only manage to withstand for a half against Rostov, as the Russian side’s depth and improved defence were enough to bring home the first win of the season. The two sides will meet against next week, in a game that could bring Rostov closer to a Main Round berth

• The Russian side are still lagging behind flawless leaders, Györ, but are tied with CSM Bucuresti and FC Midtjylland in second place
• Ekaterina Ilina was Rostov’s top scorer, with six goals, while Veronica Kristiansen and Louise Burgaard scored five apiece for the Danish side
• Rostov started the first 15 minutes with a 90 per cent shot efficiency, that slowed down to a 62 per cent after 60 minutes

GROUP C

Rostov-Don (RUS) vs FC Midtjylland (DEN) 26:20 (13:12)

There was no room for error for Rostov-Don, after one of the favorites to win the Women’s EHF Champions League this season lost their first two games against CSM Bucuresti and Györ.

However, the Russian side continued to expose their weaknesses against FC Midtjylland, with the consistency being the main flaw of Jan Leslie’s side.

A better start for FCM



Despite a 90 per cent shot efficiency in the first 15 minutes; it was hardly a walk in the park for Rostov against Midtjylland. The Danish side extended their quality game against CSM last week and surprised the hosts, who had no answer in defence against the Danish nine-metre line.

It soon became a battle between the backs, with Bobrovnikova and Ilina scoring with ease, while being counteracted by Veronica Kristiansen and Louise Burgaard, as FCM was leading 10:9 after 17 minutes.

Not even the timeout taken by Jan Leslie managed to put Rostov on the right track, as the Russian team stumbled into a flurry of technical faults.

However, a five-minute period without a goal from Midtjylland, who saw their attacking efficiency drop at an alarming rate, meant the hosts took a 13:12 lead at half-time.



Time for experiments in the second half

It was a 9:4 run in the first 13 minutes of the second half, that sparked Rostov to their first win in the Women’s EHF Champions League this season.

With a more organised defence, an inspired Katrine Lunde and an improved diversity in attack, Rostov took the lead and never looked back, as their squad depth was one of their main weapons that FCM could not cope with.

With a lead that constantly floated between four and six goals in the second half, Rostov even experienced with seven field players in their attack, with Jan Leslie trying to improve their attacking efficiency.

In the end, Rostov earned a six-goal win, 26:20 that will surely act as a booster for the Russian team’s confidence. The two sides will clash again next Sunday, in Denmark.

Post-match comments

Kristian Kristensen, head coach of FCM: "We are not satisfied with the result. Now we must analyze our mistakes and improve our game. They did especially well in the second half. As for my team, we were too relaxed in the second half. And we had some problems with the last pass." 

Jan Leslie, head coach of Rostov-Don: "We are happy to win; it was important victory! A loss would have been terrible. The second game in Denmark will be more difficult.

"We were more confident the second half. In Denmark, it will be completely different match; we have to improve our game for that."