Lublin keep quarter-final hopes alive

After two straight defeats against Nantes Atlantique Handball, another loss would have ended MKS Perla Lublin’s chances of reaching the EHF European League Women quarter-final. However, the Polish side had a solid performance in the home encounter with Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK, winning 35:26 and staying in the race for the next phase with one group match to go.

GROUP B
MKS Perla Lublin (POL) vs Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) 35:26 (18:9)

• the top scorers for both sides finished with seven goals: Marta Gega for Lublin and Amanda Kurtovic for Kastamonu
• the two teams are now level on five points – one fewer than group leaders Nantes and one more than Lada
• in round 6 on Sunday the Polish team will travel to Togliatti to face Lada, while Kastamonu are set to host Nantes

Home team helped by good start

Lublin took early control of the game, as they led 4:1 after five minutes and 8:3 by minute 12. Good defensive work and saves by Marina Razum launched their free-flowing attack, and the Polish side's advantage continued to grow as the match developed.

By the 48th minute, Lublin led by 12 goals (30:18) and, although the hosts slowed down in the closing stage, they cruised to a comfortable nine-goal victory.