De Arruda revels in new EHF Champions League challenge

In their maiden appearance in a European competition, CS Gloria 2018 BN made the quarter-finals of the EHF Cup 2019/20, where they lost 57:52 on aggregate against Danish powerhouse Ikast Handbold.

It was the first sign of ambition from the Romanian side – a team without a big history, but with a creative and efficient master plan behind them, which brought them in the final of the EHF European League last season.

And now, Gloria are for the first time in the EHF Champions League, with their big aim finally achieved. It was a road filled with twists and turns, but after finishing third in the domestic Romanian league last season, Florentin Pera’s side are ready to make their debut in the European premium competition.

“We are really excited,” says Gloria goalkeeper Renata de Arruda. “It is a big milestone for the club, it is hugely important for us, it is hugely important for a city like Bistrita – a small one, which usually breathes handball. I have heard people talking on the street about the team making it into the Champions League, therefore we are very excited.”

The 25-year-old Brazilian shot stopper will also make her debut in the EHF Champions League, having played in Spain – at CB La Calzada and Bera Bera – before coming to Romania, where she first featured at Magura Cisnadie, a team which has also played in the EHF European League recently.

When Gloria came knocking, de Arruda said ‘yes’ and that was the best possible move for both parts, as the shot stopper is definitely one of the big reasons for the team’s success in the past season, having delivered superb performances in every competition she played in.

She was named the MVP of the EHF Finals Women 2024, closing the season with 139 saves in 10 games played with an astonishing 40.52 per cent save efficiency, with 24 of those shots stopped coming at the EHF Finals in Graz.

In the Romanian league, she also hovered at an overall saving percent of over 40%, helping Bistrita complete their objective and eventually clinch a place in the EHF Champions League.

“The past season has been very good for me, personally, but also for the team. Of course, we would have wanted a trophy, but we had all our objectives alive until the last weeks of the season and I hope to repeat the feature this time around, in this season, which will surely be even more difficult,” says the Brazil goalkeeper.

As the third-ranked club in their domestic league, Gloria did not qualify directly for Europe’s top flight, but the club successfully applied for an upgrade.

It will be the first season of the EHF Champions League with three Romanian teams at the start, as Gloria are joined by perennial contenders CSM Bucuresti and last season’s runners-up, CS Rapid Bucuresti.

All three teams compete in the Romanian Super Cup these days, with Gloria beating Rapid 36:28 to set up a final against CSM, who defeated Dunarea Braila 31:28. The final is scheduled for Friday afternoon (23 August) at 16:30 CEST.

Gloria will meet CSM again in the EHF Champions League, and will face further challenges from more experienced sides, like FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, Krim Mercator Ljubljana, or Metz Handball.

They will also face Storhamar Handball Elite, the team which delivered Gloria the painful loss in the final of the EHF European League Women, which makes it an interesting and well-balanced group.

“Of course, it will be a challenge for us, but we are ready for that challenge,” de Arruda says. “We have seen that the arena is full even in the Romanian league, it was full in the European League and I believe there will be no change for the Champions League, of course, everybody is excited about this challenge.”

Bistrita also added some more experience to their squad, with players like goalkeeper Ivana Kapitanovic, left back Gréta Kácsor, or centre back Valeriia Kirdiasheva being brought in to help cement the team’s status and write another page of history for a young club, founded only 15 years ago in 2009.

But will Gloria deliver on the biggest of stages? Are they ready for the challenge? De Arruda seems to think the answer is yes.

“We are motivated and we want to deliver the best possible performances,” concludes de Arruda. “I would not compare the rosters to last season, but I think we are going to be good and create some excellent memories for our fans.”

photos © 2024 Anze Malovrh / kolektiff images