Kobenhavn through after snatching vital point in France
Group B has become the first group of the Women’s EHF Champions League 2018/19 where all three teams progressing to the main round have been already determined.
After Rostov and Brest booked their tickets last week, Kobenhavn needed just one point in Brest to join them, and the Danish champions reached their goal with a 28:28 draw on Saturday.
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Brest are on a four-match unbeaten run
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Kobenhavn have five points after five games
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Thea Mørk was Kobenhavn’s top scorer with seven goals, while Ana Gros netted eight times for Brest
GROUP B
Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Kobenhavn Handball (DEN) 28:28 (14:13)
Kobenhavn, who had lost their two previous matches to Rostov, needed a positive result to boost their morale, while Brest were eager to take revenge for their only defeat during the current campaign in the reverse fixture.
It was a very tight fight in Brest and ultimately the game ended in a draw, which looked like a fair result.
Kobenhavn coach Claus Mogensen said he was “satisfied” with the draw.
“Of course I would have preferred to win but it’s still difficult to do it in an away match in the Champions League,” Mogensen said. “All points count for the main round because you never know what will happen.”
Mogensen called his first time-out already in the fourth minute, as his team were down 2:0. For a while, Brest went on to dominate thanks to Filippa Idehn’s good goalkeeping, but then the visitors found their game.
Thea Mørk drew level at 9:9 in the 17th minute, and then Kobenhavn pulled in front 13:9. Their first-choice goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen missed the game due to an injury, but Amalie Milling and Emily Stang Sando were solid replacements.
Yet Brest, led by Ana Gros, made a quick comeback and took the upper hand at half-time, 14:13.
Early in the second half, the home side extended the gap to 17:14, but it did not take long for Kobenhavn to draw level again. The rest of the game was extremely balanced, with both rivals exchanging goals most of the time.
With 41 seconds left, Thea Mørk scored the last goal in the game, which proved vital for Kobenhavn. Brest had the last attack, but Alison Pineau’s shot just before the buzzer was an easy for Kobenhavn’s goalkeeper.
“We could have won this match but we could have also lost it,” said Brest coach Laurent Bezeau. “We didn’t manage to kill the match at the end when we went back in front.”
TEXT: Sergey Nikolaev / ew
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