Effortless win puts Skjern on track for play-off berth

There was no doubt that table-topping Skjern would go for the win against the bottom-side in Romania, after losing the previous two away games, against Kadetten and Velenje. But few would have expected such a straightforward win for the Danish side, who took control in the second part of the first half and never looked back.
 

• Fifth win in Group C for Skjern, who cement their lead at the top
• Danish side have a two-point advantage over Velenje and Elverum
• Bjarke Christensen was Skjern’s best scorer, with six goals
• Dinamo are virtually eliminated from contention, needing a miracle to progress to the next round
• Skjern host Elverum next week, in a game which could secure their play-off berth

GROUP C
Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Skjern Handball (DEN) 23:36 (8:18)

It was an unusually slow start for one of the best attacks in the VELUX EHF Champions League as Skjern, who put 39 past Dinamo in the first round this season, could only score three times in the first 10 minutes, as home side Dinamo took an early and surprising 5:3 lead.

But it was impossible for Skjern to maintain the meagre 30% shot efficiency showed in the first part of the game. A magnificent 9:1 partial run which rocked Dinamo was enough to put the visitors in front once and for all.

Dinamo's players were no match for the Danish side after losing the lead and the goals quickly flowed, as eight Skjern players found themselves on the scoreboard, for an 18:8 Danish lead at half-time.

The drubbing continued in the second half as Skjern could rotate all 12 of their court players and the Romanian side never looked like they could keep up with their counterparts, as the guests opened a 15-goal gap (32:17) after 40 minutes.

It was not a matter of tactics, but a matter of pride for Dinamo, who let Skjern run riot up until the very end, cruising to a 36:23 win, the second-biggest ever for the Danish side in the European premium competition.

Quotes after the game:

Ole Norgaard, Coach, Skjern Handball: “Obviously, we are happy for the result and we didn't expect it to be so clear. The audience was absolutely great, and the supporters made a lot of noise all the game.”

Tibor Ivanisevic, Goalkeeper, Skjern Handball: “I want to congratulate my team for the win. We came here to win and to take two points and we did it. We are satisfied - we played very constructive, especially in the first half. We did everything we had prepared for.”

Eliodor Voica, Coach, Dinamo Bucuresti: “Skjern confirmed their status and position in Group C. From our side, we expected a good game and had a good start, but after 15 minutes we made a lot of mistakes and this was one of the worst situations for us. We have learnt a lot from this competition.”

Milan Sajin, Left Back, Dinamo Bucuresti: “From the beginning we knew that they came to Bucharest to win because they are fighting for first place. We had prepared well for this game, but is difficult when we have many injured players.”