Last autumn, both matches between CSKA and HC Podravka Vegeta were postponed, and now the teams agreed to play them as a double-header in Moscow.

In the first match, the last-placed Podravka fought surprisingly hard, but in the end, the Russian club celebrated a 30:26 win.

GROUP B
CSKA (RUS) vs HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 30:26 (18:16)

• the teams will meet again on Monday; if CSKA win, they will go top of the group and book a quarter-final ticket
• CSKA claimed their fourth straight win; Podravka suffered their ninth defeat in a row and sit bottom of the group with two points
• Darya Dmitrieva’s three goals in the opening six minutes propelled the home side to a 5:2 lead, but CSKA failed to increase their lead, and Podravka kept within fighting distance during the entire first half
• just after the break, a 4:0 run helped the visitors to get in front 21:20; the game was nip-and-tuck after that before a 5:1 run in the last nine minutes powered CSKA to a win
• Podravka’s Dejana Milosavljevic was the top scorer of the match with seven goals, increasing her tally in the tournament to 69 goals

Masson has late impact in goal

It was not a good day for CSKA’s goalkeepers much of the time, as Polina Kaplina recorded just one save and Anna Sedoykina added three more.

However, their third option proved to be a success. The 42-year-old Chana Masson made five saves for a 55 per cent save efficiency late in the match, making a key contribution to her team’s victory.