06.11.2016, 06:18
Surprising FCM shock Rostov-Don

GROUP C REVIEW: There was no shortage of drama for Rostov, with the Russian powerhouse on the brink of elimination, after losing against FCM 25:23.

Surprising FCM shock Rostov-Don

The leaders in the group have taken an unpredictable swing, after the Danish side won their second game. As a result, FCM, Rostov-Don and CSM will battle it out for two Women's EHF Champions League Main Round berths.

• FCM (4 points), Rostov and CSM (both with 2 points) are battling it out for two places in the main round, with Rostov-Don holding the tiebreaker against FCM
• Stine Jorgensen scored eight goals for FCM, as the top scorer of the game
• FCM will host Györ next week, while Rostov-Don will have an overwhelming game against CSM

GROUP C
FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs Rostov-Don (RUS) 25:23, 13:10

There was simply no room for mistake for the Russian powerhouse, after two losses against Györ and CSM Bucuresti in their first two games.

While the win against the Danish side in their home game bought Rostov-Don a little time, the Russian side needed to build on it and excel in Denmark, if they did not want to share the same result as CSM, who lost against Midtjylland in the second round.

No spark for Rostov-Don in the first half

However, Rostov's fears were to be confirmed, after an error-prone first half, that saw Midtjylland take a three-goal lead, 13:10.

While the hosts did not impress in their attacking efficiency, their defence was top-notch, with Sabine Englert boasting a 55 percent save efficiency.

After a difficult three minutes, in which Pedersen, Kristensen and Burgaard missed their shots, Midtjylland scored and never looked back. Thanks to a 9:5 run that stretched between the 13th and the 27th minute, Midtjylland took a five-goal lead to 13:8. Eventually, the difference was cut to only three goals, thanks to Vyakhireva and Dembele for netting the ball.

FCM resist Rostov-Don's comeback

An instant 3:0 partial in the first seven minutes of the second half, inspired by the 2016 Rio Olympic Games MVP, Anna Vyakhireva, saw Rostov tie the game at 15:15.

But the hosts quickly turned the game in their favour, after an impressive outing for Stine Jorgensen, who scored eight goals and cruised to an unstoppable 23:18 lead that proved too much for Rostov.

It was FCM's second win on their home court after defeating CSM, although the Russian side still holds the tie-break over the Danish team with their 26:20 win in the home leg.

Said after the game:

Kristian Kristensen, Head Coach of FC Midtjylland: "First of all, this was a great team performance. We knew it was going to take a team performance to beat the stars of Rostov-Don and that's what we delivered. We hit them hard specifically with our fast-break efficiency. I'm happy and proud. The atmosphere in the dressing room is great. It's not just a regular victory."

"Whether we can secure a spot in the top third of the group is too early to say, but obviously we are in a good position at the moment after beating both Bucuresti and now Rostov. Let's see if we can perform something like this against Györi as well, when we take them on at home next weekend."

TEXT: Adrian Costeiu/tm