Metz Handball were strong favourites ahead of their play-off tie in the EHF Champions League Women against BV Borussia Dortmund 09, and the French team lived up to expectations with a 30:22 away victory in the first leg.
PLAY-OFF, FIRST LEG
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) vs Metz Handball (FRA) 22:30 (9:18)
- Dortmund coach Andre Fuhr called two timeouts by the 20th minute, as Metz were up 11:4
- Ivana Kapitanovic boasted a 50 per cent save rate in the first half, helping the French side to a nine-goal lead at half-time
- after the restart, Dortmund improved their game and closed the gap to 26:21, yet the visitors weathered the storm to clinch an eight-goal win
- Dortmund's Alina Grijseels (nine goals) was the top scorer of the match, while Meline Nocandy netted six times for Metz
- Grace Zaadi, who joined her old team on loan from Rostov-Don, helped Metz with three goals
- Dortmund suffered their sixth straight defeat in the current EHF Champions League Women season
Metz need to stay focused
By taking a commanding win, the French team have already one foot in the EHF FINAL4 Women, as Rostov-Don, the quarter-final rivals for the winner of this tie, were eliminated from the competition.
In Dortmund, Metz proved that they have more quality and depth than their German rivals, and all of their 13 court players found their names on the scoresheet, while Kapitanovic ended the game with 18 saves and a 46 per cent save rate.
However, Dortmund showed their fighting spirit and a solid seven-against-six game in the second half, so Metz will need full focus in the second-leg encounter in France next Saturday.
In the first half, we were inhibited and quickly trailed 6:0. After the break, our seven-against-six game also caused problems for Metz – but the big problem was our chance management. If that had been better, we could have done better.
