Currently, Gloria are the only unbeaten team in the competition, having won six matches and drew another, against Neptunes Nantes in the group phase, which immediately puts a target on the Romanian side’s back.
But with plenty of experience in the squad, an interesting mix of Romanian national team players like Laslo, Bianca Bazaliu and Sonia Seraficeanu, and some well-versed foreign players, such as the best goalkeeper in the Romanian league, Renata de Arruda, Bistrița have a good recipe for success.
The 32:30 away win against Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the EHF European League Women was another huge step for towards greatness, as the first shot for a European title is looming for Bistrița, provided they secure the win in the quarter-finals on aggregate against their Hungarian opponents.
“I heard that the tickets for this match were sold out in 10 minutes. That is absolutely spectacular, because I have never experienced this in my career, not even in Podgorica, with Buducnost. Therefore, we have an obligation, we must make these fans happy. Because it is not necessarily about Bistrița, it is also about the fans we have from other cities, I have heard some are making trips of a few hours to be with us and support us,” adds Laslo.
“I mean, this is fantastic, because the arena will be full and we will get all the help we need from them. We have also won a crucial match at home in the Romanian league, against Rapid, thanks to our fans, and we hope we do the same against our Hungarian opponents.”
This season has been a wild ride for Gloria, a team hailing from a small city, of 79,000 inhabitants. First, the Romanian side changed their coach mid-season, with Florentin Pera, Romania women’s national team coach, taking over from Horațiu Pașca in October. Since that moment, Bistrița went on a fantastic run, both in the Romanian league and in the EHF European League Women.
“We are having a very good season. In the domestic league, we are second, here we are one step away from the EHF Finals and in the Romanian cup we qualified in the Final Four. But this is the moment where everything is decided, so we need to forget about tired legs and do what we can to qualify,” says Laslo.
However, Gloria have lost few matches on their home court, none since Pera took over, therefore this will make it very difficult for Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC to turn the tie on its head, despite the Hungarian side having time to prepare for the second leg, with no matches in the domestic league in between.
“When I saw the draw for the group phase, I thought it would be very difficult, because I knew how good Nantes were. But then we started playing, getting the wins, and I got more and more confident. With our opponents in the quarter-finals, I think they were the best team we faced, therefore we must pay attention and never let our focus down,” says Laslo.
The centre back, named the captain of both Gloria and the Romania women’s national team this season, has been excellent for her club side, with 32 goals this campaign, including eight in the first leg against Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC. If she keeps that pace, she will be decisive once again in the second leg.
“If we win here, then we get to the Finals. And there, everything is possible. For us, to get there and fight for the trophy, it would be just a good thank you for everybody which supported us and helped us through this season,” concludes Laslo.
