Grozav lifts Rapid to outstanding win against Krim
It was a roller-coaster of a game, full of twists and turns and dramatic runs, but CS Rapid Bucuresti sealed their first quarter-final berth in the EHF Champions League Women with a 30:24 win over Krim Mercator Ljubljana, which translated into a 54:53 win on aggregate.
PLAY-OFFS, SECOND LEG
CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) 30:24 (12:8)
CS Rapid Bucuresti won 54:53 on aggregate
- in their 300th match in the EHF Champions League Women, Krim were disappointing in attack, where they lost out on a berth in the quarter-finals, with a 6:2 run for Rapid in the middle of the second half being crucial
- centre back Estavana Polman, who was a mid-winter signing for Rapid, had her best outing of the season against Krim. Polman scored the first two goals of the game to lead the charge and finished with eight goals
- Sorina Grozav, who finished the match with six goals, scored Rapid’s last four goals and was truly clutch in crunch time
- Krim’s main undoing was their attacking efficiency, with plenty of misses and 14 turnovers driving it down to a meagre 32 per cent, which enabled Rapid to take control of the match and dictate the tempo
- Rapid will now face reigning champions Vipers Kristiansand in the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Women, a difficult proposition for any side in the Europe's premier competition
Fan support lifts Rapid past Krim
In their 300th match in the EHF Champions League Women, Krim Mercator Ljubljana were facing Rapid in a pivotal clash, with the Romanian champions playing only for the 16th time in Europe's premier competition.
Backed by over 5,000 fans, which delivered a sold-out arena in Bucharest, with the tickets available being sold one month before the match, Rapid had a roller-coaster of a game, but the fiesta was on in the Polivalenta Arena, as Kim Rasmussen sealed his first European win as Rapid’s coach.
Rapid’s back line was enormous, with Estavana Polman and Sorina Grozav – 14 goals between them – running the show, but the fans’ support was also a huge part of the game that saw Rapid seal their first quarter-final berth.
Photo credit: Sabin Malisevschi
I think I have a lot of blue spots on my body, so it was a great game. No, it was amazing. I think we stuck to the plan and we got a bit stressed in the second half, but I think we fought well and
we kept our heads, I don't want to say calm, but at least we were clever enough to get this win at home.
We are thankful for playing in this great atmosphere. Both teams delivered a great performance – and the fans also. Unfortunately, we were not able to play at full strength today with the injury of Barbara
Arnhart, Barbara Lazovic not being fully healthy and a long-time absent Allison Pineau. Rapid did a great game for all 60 minutes. That was what decided the game.
