Kastamonu grab last semi-final berth

Craiova, Viborg and Vipers had all gone through to the Women's EHF Cup semi-final on Saturday, and the last spot was up for grabs between Kastamonu and Zalau. The Romanian side had won by one goal on home court, yet Kastamonu now took their revenge and progressed to the next round.

• Kastamonu are the only group winners who overcame the quarter-final barrier
• Zalau missed head coach Gheorghe Tadici, suspended for disciplinary reasons
• Kastamonu will face Craiova in the semi-final

QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG
Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs H.C.Zalau (ROM) 27:24 (16:11)
First-leg result: 28:29, aggregate: 55:53

Kastamonu, who have become the sensation of the current Women's EHF Cup season, continued their march to the coveted trophy. On their home court, the Turkish team are particularly strong, and they proved this once again in the quarter-final.

Zalau would have faced Craiova in the semi-final in case of their win, but the Romanian derby is not going to take place as they failed to defend their one-goal advantage from the first leg.

That said, the visitors had their chances to succeed. While Kastamonu took early control of the game, their position looked somewhat shaky most of the time.

In the 20th minute, the home side were up 10:8, but then they improved, and a five-goal lead at the break (16:11) seemed to give them a morale boost.

Notably Zalau missed their head coach Gheorghe Tadici, who was suspended by EHF following unsportsmanlike behaviour in the first-leg match. The lack of his instructions perhaps affected the Romanian team’s game, yet it did not prevent them from trying to pull off a strong comeback in the second half.

After cutting the deficit from 21:15 to 25:22, Zalau fought hard to completely turn the game around, yet Kastamonu held on to their advantage and ultimately deserved their semi-final ticket.