EHF Champions League
CSKA enjoy maiden win
Following an impressive home draw against Győri Audi ETO KC in the opening round, CSKA claimed their first-ever win in the DELO EHF Champions League, beating Buducnost 25:22.
Similar to their previous match against HC Podravka Vegeta, the Montenegrin side enjoyed a good start, but CSKA's assured comeback enabled them to celebrate victory at full-time.
GROUP B
Buducnost (MNE) vs CSKA (RUS) 22:25 (13:13)
- Buducnost started the game well to take a 10:5 lead midway through the first half
- then CSKA improved their defence and were level at the break, 13:13
- Darya Dmitrieva, Polina Gorshkova and Polina Vedekhina greatly contributed to CSKA's victory, combining for 10 of their 12 goals in the second half
- playing against a team from her native Russia, Valeriia Maslova was Buducnost’s top scorer with six goals
- Buducnost will travel to Odense next week, while CSKA will host Valcea
Experience does not always help
Buducnost started their 25th season in the DELO EHF Champions League, while CSKA made their debut in the competition. However, the difference in experience meant nothing on the court, as good defending and some spectacular saves from goalkeepers Anna Sedoykina and Chana Masson helped the Russian team to win.
We didn’t start well, but we played much better in the last 45 minutes of the game. This is a historic victory for us after we missed a great opportunity against Győr at the start of the Champions League. We knew that Buducnost would fight until the end, but we had better concentration and won two important points.
