Midtjylland snatch draw after impressive Györ comeback
Handball fans around Europe have been treated to few games this season as exciting as this one, with former EHF Champions League winners Györi Audi ETO KC staging an mighty second-half comeback before a last-gasp equaliser denied them the win.
GROUP C
FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) 22:22 (12:10)
Györi Audi ETO KC, the 2013 and 2014 Women’s EHF Champions League winners, will head into this season’s main round with five points after a thrilling draw at FC Midtjylland on Sunday.
HC Vardar will take four points with them while FCM will have to be content with three after spilling a six-goal lead to earn a tie on the buzzer courtesy of a Stine Jörgensen thunderbolt from nine metres.
A balanced attack in which five players netted two goals each saw Midtjylland engineer a two-goal lead in the first half, while their defence stifled Györ’s usually prolific attack.
A carbon copy of the reverse fixture in Hungary, where Midtjylland enjoyed a shock 26:21 win, looked on the cards after the Danish title holders romped away to a 17:11 lead early in the second period.
Struggling in all departments, Györ once again seemed to have no reply for Midtjylland’s fast breaks and quick transition of the ball in positional play.
But the home side’s performance suddenly came to a halt as Györ, led by towering back Eduarda Amorim Taleska and playmaker Anita Görbicz, turned the match on its head with a 9:1 run.
Roared on by several dozen Hungarian fans who made the trip to Denmark, Györ looked their usual selves during a 15-minute streak that silenced the passionate home crowd in Ikast.
FCM somehow managed to claw their way back into the game but were still staring at defeat after Görbicz netted a penalty with only 12 seconds left on the clock.
Jörgensen, who finished with five goals from seven shots, then stepped up to the plate at crunch time, earning Midtjylland what could turn out to be a priceless point in the forthcoming main round battle to reach the competition’s knock-out stages.
Fie Woller added five goals from as many efforts for FCM, while Taleska and Görbicz also scored five each for Györ.
TEXT: Zoran Milosavljevic / cg
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