Metz back on track as they beat Kastamonu

Last Saturday, Metz Handball had suffered their biggest defeat in the current DELO EHF Champions League season, 39:30 at Györi Audi ETO KC.

The home match against last-placed Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK was a good opportunity to redeem themselves, and the French team took it, earning a commanding 33:25 win.

GROUP B
Metz Handball (FRA) vs Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) 33:25 (17:10)

• Jovanka Radicevic netted five times in the 12 opening minutes, powering Kastamonu to a surprising 7:6 lead
• however, the Turkish team scored their last goal in the first half in the 24th minute. After that, Adriana Cardoso's goals secured Metz a 6:0 run and a seven-goal lead at the break
• in the second half, Kastamonu continued to fight and cut the deficit to 29:24 with seven minutes to go, but Metz then enjoyed a 3:0 run and clinched a win
• Tamara Horacek netted six times for Metz, but Kastamonu's Jovanka Radicevic became top scorer of the match with eight goals
• after this win, the third-placed Metz have 14 points and are behind Vipers Kristiansand only on goal difference

Ninth straight defeat for Kastamonu

The Turkish champions played their first DELO EHF Champions League match since 20 November, and the team who had lost all eight games in 2021 went on to suffer another defeat.

On Saturday, it will be difficult for Kastamonu to grab some points against in-form Vipers Kristiansand, but then they are scheduled to face Sävehof and Krim, and maybe those games will present a more realistic chance for the debutants to earn long-awaited points.

Post-match quotes

Emmanuel Mayonnade, coach of Metz: "I don't have a good feeling about what I saw. Of course we won but I didn't like what we did, we didn't play as expected, we have to be better in defence and concentrate more on the game."

Costica Buceschi, coach of Kastamonu: "For my team it's really hard to play in the Champions League, we fought for a long time but it wasn't enough."

Astride N'gouan, line player of Metz: "Like the coach, I'm disappointed with our game. Of course we won, but we know that we played badly. To be able to aspire to do great things, we have to change things personally and collectively."

Marina Rajcic, goalkeeper of Kastamonu: "It's a return here for me and I was really happy to see the girls again! About the game, I'm sad that we lost, we need to work again."