In February, during a domestic league game against HC Lada, Rostov-Don produced a sensational comeback, tying the game, 31:31, despite being two goals down with 14 seconds to go.

It should have served as a warning that everything is possible in handball, yet Rostov forgot about that game seven months later.

What could have been a hard-fought DELO EHF Champions League win turned sour for Rostov, who were leading 23:21 against RK Krim Mercator with two minutes to go.

Despite having two players suspended in the dying seconds, Tomas Hlavaty's decision to substitute the goalkeeper for an extra attacking player would prove costly.

With one second left, left wing Maja Svetik scored her second goal of the game to earn a point for Krim, 23:23.

Stand-in Rostov coach Hlavaty was justified in taking the risk, as his team had only converted 55 per cent of their shots, but despite knowing that the game is not over until the final whistle, Rostov paid the price in a high-stakes game.