EHF Champions League

Vipers celebrate third consecutive EHF FINAL4 berth in style

EHF / Adrian Costeiu

06 May 2023, 17:52

After their six-goal win in the first leg against CS Rapid Bucuresti, Vipers Kristiansand had an exciting performance in the second leg, with goals galore against Rapid, in Vipers’ 40:31 win.

Vipers Kristiansand will find out which opponent they will face in Budapest when the EHF Final4 Women draw takes place in the city on Tuesday, May 9.

QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG

Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) 40:31 (18:18)

Vipers Kristiansand win 71:56 on aggregate

the Norwegian side has secured their third EHF FINAL4 berth in a row with their 71:56 aggregate win, having won the previous two editions of the business end of the EHF Champions League Women
the turning point of the game was a 7:1 run for Vipers between the 37^th and the 45^th minutes, which saw the lead change hands and the Norwegian side run away with the win
this was also Rapid’s worst-ever loss in their participation in the EHF Champions League Women, with Vipers completing a flawless second half, scoring 22 goals which is the largest number of conceded goals for Rapid in a half in their history
Vipers scored at least 40 goals for the second time this season, getting close to their record of 43 goals in this edition of the European premium competition, set against DHK Banik Most,
Rapid have lost back-to-back games in the EHF Champions League Women for the first time in history, but still overcame expectations to qualify for the quarter-finals

Magnificent Vipers ride excellent attack to EHF FINAL4

Vipers Kristiansand were clearly the better and more experienced side in this doubleheader and had little trouble disposing of CS Rapid Bucuresti, a team that has made their first-ever appearance this season in the EHF Champions League Women, and therefore the first quarter-finals berth.

After the six-goal win in the first leg, in a sold-out Sala Polivalenta in Bucharest, Vipers had a clear advantage and only needed to manage it carefully, which they absolutely did, as Rapid had a two-goal lead early in the game, only to find themselves tied and the game turned on its head.

While Vipers, who boast the best attack this season, did miss many shots and had a 45% attacking efficiency in the first half, the Norwegian side dominated the last 30 minutes, delivering their best-ever attacking performance in knockout games in the European premium competition and are now preparing for a historic three-peat in Budapest, after securing their best-ever winning streak on their home court with eight wins out of eight games this season.

Just Katrine Lunde things 😍#ehfcl pic.twitter.com/OBA8WXqWmf
— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) May 6, 2023

In the first half today we had troubles. Rapid played fast and good handball, and we could, and maybe should, have been behind by a few goals at half-time. After the break, we managed to turn it around, and by the end we had a good buffer and felt secure. All in all I’m very happy that we are in the Final 4 again, and very relieved after a good match.

Ole Gustav Gjekstad

Vipers Kristiansand Head Coach

We did what we could, we tried to do our best. It wasn’t enough. Of course, Vipers were the better team in both games.
We had a good season, it was the first time for our team in the Champions League, and I am really proud of everything that we did this year.

Eliza Buceschi

CS Rapid Bucuresti centre back