The social side of handball: last week in review
The group phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League is over and there was no shortage of beautiful goals, drama and sheer joy in the final round. While PSG brought fun to the court once again, it was Serbian right wing Darko Djukic who stole the show with some bizarre dance moves after Meshkov Brest qualified for the Last 16.
Moving on to the Women’s EHF Champions League, CSM Bucuresti met some superheroes, while Rostov’s coach, Ambros Martin, showed his basketball skills before leading his team to a win against Buducnost.
Djukic – a natural-born dancer
HC Meshkov Brest finished off the group phase in style, with a 32:23 win against Kristianstad. Montpellier’s loss against Vardar meant that the Belarusian side was through to the next phase of the competition and the players decided to celebrate it in style. Serbian right wing Darko Djukic was the heart and soul of the party, with some insane dance moves. Now, there will be a much-needed break for Brest, who will face Flensburg in three weeks’ time in the Last 16.
CSM need a hero
After Cristina Neagu and Amanda Kurtovic’s season-ending injuries, CSM are in dire need of a superhero to save their season.
The 23:22 loss against Krim last weekend did not help their chances to proceed to the DELO WOMEN'S EHF FINAL 4, but nevertheless the Romanian team have kept their hopes up. Relaxing before a TV show, the Romanian champions took a shot with Batman and Ironman, hoping that this will help them win against Thüringer HC on Friday.
Sweet tooth for injury-hit Kielce
Kielce might have their own injury crisis and the bodies are low in the Polish side, who finished the group phase with three losses on the trot.
Coach Talant Dujshebaev likes to keep the spirits up high and that is what happened before the game against Veszprem, when the players were treated with donuts and faworki – a Polish pastry.
Plock in the kitchen
Team building is one way to keep spirits up and bring the players closer to each other and MOL-Pick Szeged did just that last week.
The Hungarian side finished second in Group B, mainly thanks to their team spirit and grit, but cooking a meal could definitely fortify some bonds in the team. Szeged will face Polish side Orlen Wisla Plock in the Last 16 phase of the competition.
Helping kids love handball
Players are well-known role models for kids, who mainly take up handball not because of the sport itself, but because of their idols. HBC Nantes is a club knitted to the local community and the players always give back to the raucous fans who come to their games. One way of showing appreciation is to invite children to learn the basics of handball and have fun.
A helping hand from Mogensen
The Danish teams like to build-up their games by including the fans in hands-on activities. A bicycle marathon is one way to help fans be active and players are helping them with snacks. This time it was Thomas Mogensen who played his part before Skjern’s last game in the competition, a 35:32 win against Celje.
A multitalented coach
Who thought that Rostov’s coach and former Spanish left wing Ambros Martin was so good at basketball? Well, here is the answer. The 50-year old coaching ace made some superb baskets in the training session that preceded Rostov’s 23:20 win against Buducnost, which secured second place in Group 1.
A bit of boxing for PSG
Boxing or handball? The answer for the PSG side is in this week’s episode of the “No comment” series released by the French team. PSG had the best record in the group phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League, clinching the first place in Group B with 13 wins, including a 31:25 victory against Zaporozhye in the last round.
TEXT:
Adrian Costeiu / cor