CS Rapid Bucuresti welcomed their second win in the EHF Champions League Women 2022/23, defeating Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK 33:26 after 60 tough minutes on in Turkey on Sunday.
The Turkish club played better than in the first two rounds of group B, conceding fewer than 35 goals for the first time, but Rapid Bucuresti's concentration and strong defence in the final minutes helped them to remain undefeated.
GROUP B
Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) 26:33 (12:15)
- Kastamonu started well, with their strong defence allowing them to score easy goals, while Rapid Bucuresti made a lot of mistakes
- three goals in a row from Rapid Bucuresti made Kastamonu coach Claus Mogensen call for a timeout after the opponents levelled at 9:9
- 10 minutes without a goal saw Kastamonu trail by five as Rapid Bucuresti made a six-goal run
- the home team went full speed in the second half. Boosted by good performances from Katarina Jezic and Azenaide Danila Jose Carlos, they closed the gap to 22:23
- Kastamonu took a risk which ultimately did not pay off when they used an extra attacking player; it cost them their 17th defeat in a row, the longest losing run in the competition's history
Back court action
Rapid Bucuresti welcomed their second win in their maiden top-tier appearance. The 33:26 win came after hard work against Kastamonu, who did not let them go home with an easy victory. With a 61 per cent shot efficiency over Kastamonu's 53 per cent, Rapid Bucuresti also shone in the closing moments with four more goals.
16 out of Rapid's 33 goals came from the back court. Eliza Iulia Buceschi, who led her team and scored some crucial goals, ended the match with seven goals. Sorina Maria Grozav's tally was five, while Dorina Korsós was effective four times.
We started good but at the end of first half we missed chances. We caught up in the score in the second half, but at the end of the game we had too many suspensions and we lost.
