FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria were down by two goals with seven minutes left but mounted another impressive comeback in the DELO EHF Champions League after coach Gabor Elek used some all-in tactics to save a point in their home game against Rostov-Don, 25:25.
GROUP A
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Rostov-Don (RUS) 25:25 (13:13)
- no team created a gap of more than three goals in the match, but Rostov erased a three-goal deficit early in the second half (16:13) to retake the lead in the 49th minute (20:21)
- from FTC's 15 draws in their history in the DELO EHF Champions League, three have come this season
- right wing Iuliia Managarova, centre back Grace Zaadi Deuna and left wing Kristina Kozhokar combined for 18 of Rostov’s 25 goals, as the Russian side were once again left disappointed by their attack
- Gréta Márton's goal which tied the game at 24:24 with only one minute and 28 seconds to go was FTC's 5,500th in Europe's premier competition
- Rostov's defence stood up once again, conceding 25 goals, but their main issues were both the attack and the goalkeepers, with Anastasiia Lagina and Galina Gabisova combining for six saves and a meagre 19 per cent save efficiency
Rostov rue missed chances
It has hardly been an epic season for Rostov-Don, whose attacking issues are well-documented, and the Russian side now need an excellent finish to their campaign at home against CSM Bucuresti and away versus Brest Bretagne Handball.
Rostov will definitely rue some missed chances during this campaign, including their home loss, 19:20, against FTC and this draw, sealed by a late-gasp penalty from Angela Malestein.
Rostov have a two-point advantage over FTC and are one point ahead of Brest — but the Hungarian side hold the tiebreaker over Rostov.
I think everybody in my team was happy to play in full house and in (an) atmosphere like this. Our players enjoyed this atmosphere. In the last weeks we had a lot of problems, but I am happy with this performance. It was a very close game from the start till the end. It was a fair draw.
Both teams had a lot of problems before the game. It was a big fight in front of our amazing fans. Both teams had a lot of mistakes during the game. I am disappointed, because I had believed we could win this game. On the other hand, I should be happy because, in the end, we could equalise in front of our fans.
