26.03.2007, 12:20
Goodbye Krim!

Krim Mercator said goodbye to the Women's EHF Champions League this weekend after the tried but failed to pull back the seven goals conceded to Slagelse.

Goodbye Krim!

On Saturday evening, nothing seemed to work for Krim Mercator. In the 2nd leg clash with Slagelse who have won the title on two occasions, the Danes were much better and progressed to the final four. The Slovenian title holders had to say goodbye. 

Everyone had hoped that Krim would be able to make up the seven-goal disadvantage in Slovenia. The players started really well against Slagelse in Ljubljana and broke through the hard Danish defence. They were even ahead by 4 goals in the 25th minute and this was a great opportunity for the home team. However, too many mistakes at key moments during the game, despite trying to give a great performance for the entire 60 minutes, proved to be their downfall.

In the second half, Slagelse was just too good. And thanks to the efforts of the great Popović and Cecilie Leganger, Krim watched their advantage disappear and with that could only say adieu to the Champions League, while Slagelse celebrated victory and their entry to the semi-final.

Bregar: The Popović Mystery

Some might say that it was not the right time for Uros Bregar to step into the position the Krim coach as Robert Begus looked on from a distance. “It was difficult; we agreed all tactical combinations in advance, but without success. Bojana Popović was once again a mystery” said Bregar. The disappointment on the faces of the players was obvious. There were a lot of tear after coming to the end of the European season. What went wrong?

“Slagelse are a strong team with plenty of experienced player. This is not Lada Togliatti. We tried to do our best, but there were too many mistakes. Slagelse played dirty in defence and we should have done the same, but we did not” – Olena Yatsenko thought this was the reason for Krim’s defeat.

Oder: We had a chance

One of the best pivots in the world Ludmila Bodnieva was almost without words. “I am so disappointed after this defeat. But we have to admit Slagelse is better at the moment. We hoped but did not succeed.”

And what were thoughts of Tanja Oder after the match? “We had opportunities in first half but once again made too many mistakes. It was hard as Slagelse played smart and concentrated. They always found a solution and on the other hand, we did not” Oder realised that they missed their chance.

As a team, Krim puts everything on the Champions League as they do not have rivals in national league, so now nothing else matters. They will wait until the next season and try again.

TEXT: Maja Mastnak