While CSKA had beaten RK Krim Mercator in a very tight fight on Saturday, fellow Russian team Rostov-Don faced a much easier task following their 29:20 win in the first-leg match against HC Podravka Vegeta.

And Rostov were again too strong for their Balkan rivals as they won 42:24 and sealed a DELO EHF Champions League quarter-final spot.

PLAY-OFF, SECOND LEG
Rostov-Don (RUS) vs HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 42:24 (24:11)
First leg: 29:20, Rostov win 71:44 on aggregate

• Rostov reached the quarter-final for the fourth straight season
• a 82 per cent shot efficiency in the first half propelled the home side to a commanding 24:11 lead
• Rostov’s Katarina Krpez Slezák became a top scorer of the match with nine goals
• Dejana Milosavljevic, who is the third-best scorer of the competition, netted seven times to increase her tally to 88 goals; however, Podravka are now eliminated
• in the quarter-final, Rostov will face the winners of the tie Vipers Kristiansand vs Odense Håndbold, who will play their second-leg match later today

Rostov set new club records

Rostov’s biggest win in the Europe’s premier club competition had been 38:21 against France’s Fleury Loiret Handball in the 2015/16 season, and 38 goals in that encounter had been their best scoring result.

But now the Russian side set new club records, hitting the 40-goal mark for the first time and ultimately winning by 18 goals.