In a rescheduled match from round 1 of the DELO EHF Champions League 2021/22, CSKA proved too strong for Metz Handball, claiming a 32:24 victory away in France in Wednesday.
This result lifted the Russian place to the third place in group B, while Metz stay second.
GROUP B
Metz Handball (FRA) vs CSKA (RUS) 24:32 (12:15)
- Metz led 8:6 in the 12th minute, but an aggressive 5-1 defence and Ana Gros' string of goals helped CSKA to a three-goal advantage at the break
- the home side closed the gap to 19:18 after 10 minutes into the second half, but then Gros inspired CSKA to a 5:1 run, which helped them to regain control of the game
- Gros, who played at Metz between 2014 and 2018, scored 12 times against her former team, while Elena Mikhaylichenko added eight more goals
- Camila Micijevic became Metz's top scorer with eight goals
- Metz suffered their second defeat in the competition, and again at home; the French side still maintain a perfect record in away encounters
CSKA win in style
This season CSKA are one of the most unpredictable teams in the competition. The Russian team claimed just one point from the home games against Odense Håndbold and Krim Mercator Ljubljana, but managed to beat title-holders Vipers Kristiansand in Norway, and now defeated Metz in style.
In a few matches in October, CSKA missed Ana Gros, but now the top scorer of the 2020/21 season is not just back on the court, but also in a great shape, which she proved in France. If the Moscow-based team continue in this way, they will certainly again be among contenders for a DELO EHF FINAL4 spot.
