Clinical Buducnost snatch win and main round ticket

There was drama, a fair share of turnovers from both teams, and excellent goalkeeping, but when push came to shove, Buducnost were clinical enough to snatch an important win against Valcea, 21:20.

The Montenegrin side have now clinched a DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League main round berth, while Brest are also through to the next stage.

• Valcea lose their third game in a row, despite leading throughout the second half, as Buducnost reclaim the lead in the 59th minute

• Buducnost win their third straight match, and draw level with Brest at the top of the group. Both group leaders are through to the main round

• Jovanka Radicevic is Buducnost’s top scorer, with eight goals, which take her past FTC’s Katrin Klujber in the season’s standings, with 31 goals in total

• Valcea travel to Bietigheim next week, while Buducnost meet Brest in a game that could end up deciding first place in the group 

GROUP C
SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU) vs Buducnost (MNE) 20:21 (10:13)

The week has been tough for Valcea coach Florentin Pera, who fell ill on Monday and spent the next three days in hospital, but adrenaline was surely flowing through his veins when he saw 3,200 fans cheering for his side before the game against Buducnost.

It might have been the pressure or nerves, but Valcea were left stunned by an agonising first five minutes, as Buducnost scored four unanswered goals to get a firm grip on the match. A quick timeout from Pera restarted his side, and Valcea’s defence started to run better and better. Goalkeeper Yuliya Dumanska recorded six stops, as the Romanian side slowly came back into the game.

While playmakers Alicia Fernandez and Kristina Liscevic were silenced by Buducnost’s strong defence, Brazilian back Samara da Silva carried the load. A 4:1 run from Valcea saw the home team take the lead for the first time, 10:9, after 23 minutes, but it all went downhill from that point.

A seven-minute goalless run from Valcea ushered in a new period of dominance from Buducnost, as Jovanka Radicevic ran riot once again. The right wing scored six times in the first half, after she put 11 past Valcea in the first leg between these sides. 

It was Dumanska once again, with four saves in the first 10 minutes of the second half, who lifted Valcea – and a 6:2 run for the Romanian champions turned the game on its head, 16:15.

The twists and turns were not over yet. Buducnost did not take back the lead until the 59th minute, but Valcea’s persistent failure to score on crucial chances – including three penalty shots – kept the Montenegrin side in the game.

It was Majda Mehmedovic who made the game-winning shot, after Valcea only scored twice in the last 10 minutes, with their attack disappointing once again in clutch time.

Buducnost won their third game in a row, while Valcea lost their third in a row.