Györ edge Esbjerg in MOTW thriller, Bistrita stun DVSC
Round 2 of the EHF Champions League Women 2025/26 started on Saturday with four exciting clashes. In group A, Györi Audi ETO KC claimed the Match of the Week in dramatic fashion, winning 31:30 against Team Esbjerg in the final moments of the game.
The match was like a roller coaster. Sometimes one team played better, sometimes the other. I am very proud that we were able to play at the same level with such a strong opponent. The defeat still hurts now, but I trust that from tomorrow we will think about it as we did a good job and look for the opportunity to advance.
We had some problems in attack in the first half, we couldn’t do what we planned. Of course, the fact that the opponent defended well also played a role in this. We had the chance to finish the match when the opponent player got red card and we have six against three, but we missed. So we had to fight till the end, but we were smart at the very end and were able to win the game.
I think it's very positive to win at home, it sends a strong signal to our opponents. Protecting our home court is important, and today the main goal was the victory. Even if some connections weren't perfect, especially in terms of communication between us, the intentions were there. These are the small details we need to keep working on, particularly stability.
We had a very good start to the game, with solid defence and good attacking play. But already at the end of the first half, we made some easy mistakes in attack, which allowed Metz to score quick counterattacks. That’s how the five-goal gap was created. Then we came back close in the game, but the same things happened again. I don’t think we always made the right decisions: we lost too many balls, didn’t use the wings enough, and in the end gave Metz too many scoring opportunities.
This match reminded me a bit of the EHF FINAL4, because it was similarly hard-fought. We went six goals ahead, then missed some clear chances, and our defence didn’t work the way we wanted it to. We more or less managed to fix these in the second half, but Esbjerg’s line play was excellent and caused us a lot of problems.
It was a tough game, and we knew it would be like this for the full 60 minutes. We played under huge pressure, both in terms of the pace of the match and the atmosphere in the arena. I think the second half was actually really good; in the first half we had problems, as ETO led by as many as six goals. Overall, I believe we deserved at least one point, because we fought hard. It’s a pity that in the last moments it didn’t work out.
I got goosebumps from the atmosphere. I love playing for Sola at Åsenhallen.
We were expecting a very tough game. They have a lot of character and they showed it. They didn’t let the game go and fought to the end, and I think it was very hard for us to stay ready, to stay put, and to stay focused.
