14.01.2018, 07:00
Brest and Kastamonu claim second wins

DAY REVIEW: Brest Bretagne Handball beat Kuban in Russia to claim the top spot in Group A, while Kastamonu and Zalau also earned victories

Brest and Kastamonu claim second wins

Lada mbeaten Issy in Group B on Friday, the other French-Russian duel in round 2 of the Women's EHF Cup Group Phase went in favour of the French team as Brest defeated Kuban in Krasnodar. In Group C, Kastamonu cruised past Gdynia at home, while in Group D, Zalau managed to beat Höör.

• Brest top Group A with four points
• Kastamonu also have a 100% record in Group C
• Gdynia suffered their eighth straight defeat in European competitions this season

GROUP A

Kuban (RUS) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) 22:28 (12:13)

Exactly one year ago, Brest defeated Kuban at home in a EHF Cup group match (27:21) – and now the French side repeated the trick in Krasnodar, winning by six goals once again.

The visitors quickly seized the initiative and led 9:4, later extending the lead to 13:8. Yet after the 23rd minute, Brest were unable to score any more in the first half. Kuban slashed the gap to 13:12 and nearly drew level but Julia Gariaeva’s throw went wide a few seconds from half time.

The beginning of the second half was tight, but the French side soon enjoyed an impressive 9:0 spell which basically decided the game.

Kuban went more than 10 minutes without a goal before Lada Samoilenko finally scored from a penalty shot, making it 24:15.

But everything was already clear, and Brest had no problems clinching a victory in the end. Following this victory, Brest are top of Group A with four points, while Kuban are level with Craiova on two points.

GROUP C

Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs Vistal Gdynia (POL) 28:25 (16:12)

The Polish champions are yet to claim their first points in the current European season. Following six defeats in the EHF Champions league, they have already lost twice in the EHF Cup.

Supported by their vocal crowd, Kastamonu dominated throughout the game, and a four-goal lead made them feel pretty comfortable at the break. In the second half, the hosts stayed focused and earned a deserved win.

The match featured a duel of two in-form scorers who had impressed with their impact a week before. This time, Kastamonu’s Serpil Iskenderoglu scored nine goals – one goal fewer than Gdynia’s Aleksandra Zych. But her team won, which is more important.

Kastamonu now take the lead in Group C with four points, while Gdynia sit bottom with no points in hand.

GROUP D

H.C.Zalau (ROM) vs H 65 Höörs HK (SWE) 24:21 (10:8)

Both Romanian representatives in the Women’s EHF Cup, Craiova and Zalau, had opened the group stage with defeats. Yet in Round 2, they made up for those setbacks.

While Craiova beat Randers on Saturday, Zalau made their fans happy one day later. Now the Romanian side have as many points (two) – as their Sunday rivals Höör, and they are both one point behind Larvik.

It was a tight match, but Zalau had an upper hand throughout it. The home team were constantly in the lead, generally by two or three goals, while the Swedish side desperately tried to catch up.

At some points, Höör seemed to be heading in the right direction, notably shortly after the break as they drew level several times. Yet Zalau moved the score from 14:14 to 17:14, and later kept their advantage.

TEXT: Sergey Nikolaev/jh