05.05.2016, 07:40
That's what I call rivalry!

BLOG: Győr’s Brazilian star believes not only the FINAL4 but the entire season has been the strongest ever.

That’s what I call rivalry!

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog post, but I was busy recovering from the serious injury that kept me out of action for the longest time in my career. Now I am back in lots of ways: back in full fitness, back in game awareness, back in the EHF FINAL4. And back with my blog.

As you can guess, I am most excited about next weekend’s event in Budapest. The EHF FINAL4 is a very special way to decide a championship and I must tell you, first I was a little worried. You know, that’s a big show with journalists and TV crews in a fancy arena full of spectacles, but for us players it is an extremely heavy duty to play two intense, high speed games against the continents best teams in such a short time.

Luckily, I have great memories of the first FINAL4 ever that we managed to win against the mighty Buducnost. I loved the show, the atmosphere and everything about it. I think it was a very well organised event. And we won it, so it’s no surprise I enjoyed every bit of it.

Nothing but respect for all participants

This year we meet Buducnost in the semi-final. Some people say that we should meet in the final, but I disagree. The 2016 edition is the strongest Women’s EHF FINAL4 and I have nothing but respect for all participants who have made it to Budapest.

A fan told me the other day that he thought this Győr was even stronger than the one that had lifted the trophy in 2014. And in some ways I agree. We may not have as much experience and practical knowledge of handball, but we do have an abundance of quality and excellent individual skills. I have the feeling this squad provides Ambros Martín with a wider range of tactical variations.

But I think Buducnost are also stronger, therefore I expect an even match in the semi-final. The overall level of the competition has risen significantly, this season has been outstanding with a lot of great teams and exciting games. I really believe the FINAL4 will be a worthy sealing of the season.

What makes us great

Ambros Martín had to deal with a lot of injuries and changes of players, but he is one of the best coaches in the world and handled the situation well. It obviously took time, with a lot of new players he had to evaluate the squad first, but Ambros had a vision about what he expected from us and didn’t quit until we reached the level he demanded.

We signed excellent players and what I liked about our new players the most, was that they were willing to listen and learn. They were already household names in the world of handball but, they all understood what it took to be key players at Győr. We are once again a great team and a strong unit. I hope we can prove that to you in Budapest.

Ups and downs

Before the hand of Ambros made itself felt in our matches we lacked consistency, but we never panicked when results didn’t come our way. We believed in ourselves and knew that when the right time comes we would be ready.

There were games that I am particularly proud of. My favourite is our win against Buducnost, when we put up a truly outstanding defensive performance. Keeping the mighty Montenegrin at 20 goals was a great achievement and we deserved the standing ovations from our loyal fans after the game.

Do you want to know the worst? For me, it was the away game against Midtjylland. Yes, away, not at home where we lost. I really wanted to win that game and frankly, the 22:22 draw pissed me off, because I thought we could win it.

Exciting times ahead

I have personal reasons to be excited about the EHF FINAL4 because I will meet some of my old friends there and also some teammates from the Brazilian national team. I obviously concentrate on Győr now, but meeting with fellow Brazilians will remind me that the Olympic Games are coming. There will be enormous pressure on us in Rio de Janeiro, but I believe in our national team just as much as I believe in Győr.

 

2 days to EHF FINAL 4!!! 2 dias para as finais da Liga dos Campeões!!! #hajráeto #fighttogether

Ein von Eduarda Amorim (@duda18amorim) gepostetes Foto am

5. Mai 2016 um 4:05 Uhr

You must be wondering how Thor, my sweet doggy is doing. Well, my grandma spent a couple of weeks with me and I just couldn’t convince her not to feed the dog all the time so he put on a little extra weight. But how can you say no to them?

That’s it for now, I hope you enjoyed it.
So long, everyone, see you soon.
Duda Amorim

TEXT: Eduarda Amorim, Györi Audi ETO KC left back