26.01.2021, 11:00
Five talking points halfway through the group phase

FEATURE: The European League Women has seen twenty games played and this is what we can take away from the first three rounds

We have seen plenty of amazing action across the first three rounds of the European League Women group phase and it is time to try to sum it all up for you.

Here are the five most talked about points in the competition.

Only three unbeaten teams

Only Paris 92, in group A, as well as Kuban and Siofok in group D, have not lost a single game after three rounds. That does mean they have won them all, though, as Kuban drew twice, including once against the Hungarian side.

Those three sides could well look like favourites for a quarter-finals presence, but the competition is so tight that this may only be a small indication.

Amanda Kurtovic, Kastamonu’s left-handed asset

The Norwegian right-back joined, maybe surprisingly for some, the Turkish side just before the group phase and did not need long to adapt to her new environment, as her stats prove.

24 goals across three games have helped Kastamonu towards three points in the race for the next phase. Some might have deemed the Turkish club as outsiders in group B, but Kurtovic has proved them wrong.

Nantes and Paris - two French clubs on fire

Out of the three French clubs playing in the group phase, two have been in top form over the last three rounds. Helped by an amazing Nadia Offendal, Paris 92 are undefeated in group A and eye a quarter-finals ticket.

Nantes, on the hand, might have surprised many fans. It took a while for Blandine Dancette’s teammates to warm up, but they have been unstoppable in the last two rounds, even getting two important points in round three against Lublin.

Disappointing start for the Russian sides

Russia qualified four clubs for the group phase, but it has not worked out so well for them so far. Apart from Astrakhanochka, topping group C, the other three teams waving the Russian flag have been struggling. Lada, Zvezda and Kuban have won a combined total of two games, while Lada and Zvezda sit bottom of their respective groups.

Six nationalities among the best scorers

Six different teams and six different nationalities feature among the top scorers. While Norwegian right back Amanda Kurtovic seems unstoppable with 24 goals scored across three games, two players are not that far away.

With 21 goals scored: Ana Bruna de Paula (Nantes) and Maria Kanaval (Braila). French left back Tamara Horacek, who plays for Siofok, has netted 20 times already in the group phase, two more than Danish centre back Nadia Offendal (Paris 92) and Polish centre back Marta Gega (Lublin).

TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas