Sävehof boost quarter-final hopes with away win
IK Sävehof are back in the race for a quarter-final place from Group 2 in the Women's EHF Champions League after their 25:22 away win against Metz Handball.
Metz, on the other hand, are under increasing pressure to stay in the race for the last eight with the French champions opening their main round campaign with two defeats.
GROUP 2
Metz Handball (FRA) vs IK Sävehof (SWE) 22:25 (12:15)
Both teams were under pressure to qualifying for the quarter-finals heading into this match. Metz were under fire after their 27:26 away defeat to Viborg HK four days prior to the match at Les Arenes.
Another defeat might endanger the French champions’ quarter-final chances, while Sävehof were in even more desperate need of points being last in the group with just one point.
Sävehof got the better start and took an early 5:1 lead.
The Metz players had some difficulties in finding openings in the Swedish visitors’ defence, and when they did Filippa Idéhn in the Sävehof goal was almost impossible to get past.
A time-out after seven minutes and 25 seconds with the score at 5:1 for Sävehof did not help Metz either, as the guests kept their three to five-goal lead for the remainder of the first half. The Swedes took the first 30 minutes 15:12.
The visitors kept their good form going in the second half, leading continually by two to four goals.
Neither the home crowd nor an enthusiastic announcer could bring the home team back into the match; several tactical changes in the defence of the French champions did little to improve the situation.
Having been in the lead for the entire 60 minutes, Sävehof go home with a three-goal win.
Ahead of the remaining matches of the second round of matches in the group, Metz are fourth with four points, while Sävehof climb closer to a quarter-final spot with three points.
TEXT: Peter Bruun / bc
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