Glibko’s drive to win spearheads Valcea’s motivation
Entering the group phase of the EHF European League Women as one of the teams with big ambitions, SCM Ramnicu Valcea find themselves backed into a corner after the first four rounds.
The Romanian side eyed an EHF Finals Women spot, but need to win their last two matches, against Paris 92 and Praktiker-Vác, to progress to the quarter-finals, after underwhelming results to start the competition.
The conundrum Valcea find themselves in is due to an unexpected flurry of injuries, which left the team scrambling for options, including using line player Asma Elghaoui as a makeshift centre back, due to injuries sustained by Daniela de Jong and Andreea Ianasi.
But their main weapon has once again been Ukrainian left back Iryna Glibko, who is one of the most consistent scorers in the competition over the past two years, with the 32-year-old stalwart combining for 92 goals in the past two seasons.
“It is true that we have had our share of trouble during this season, there have been many injuries that hampered our progression. Still, we have a chance and we only need to take it, even if we have many players out of contention due to injuries,” says Glibko.
“The game against Paris will be crucial, if we do not win here, our hopes are as good as gone. We had issues in the first match against them, when we entered the court everything was heavy – our legs, the ball, the pressure. But now we have another chance.”
That loss against Paris 92, 22:24, might be Valcea’s undoing this season, as the French side is the Romanian’s main rival for second place, which will ensure qualification for the quarter-finals.
But this time around, Valcea will be on their home court, where they expect a sold-out “Traian” Arena, even if the squad is still depleted, with one of their top backs, Jovana Kovacevic, still out due to a back injury suffered in November, during the EHF EURO 2022.
“The fans are very close to us, therefore it will be a huge advantage. I think we managed to snatch a draw against Thüringer last week only thanks to them, the pressure applied on the opponents is huge,” adds Glibko.
It is also thanks to the amazing fans that the 32-year-old Ukrainian centre back stayed at Valcea for six seasons, extending her contract recently until 2024, confirming her status as a key player for the Romanian side, which is currently third in the standings in the domestic league, with big ambitions for the future.
Glibko will, therefore, spend more than a decade in Romania, on an adventure which started in 2012, saw her play for four different teams, learn the language and overcome some big challenges both in life and in her career in her second home.
“I was born in a big city, Odessa, in Ukraine, therefore when I came to Valcea, which is a smaller, quiet town, I thought I would get bored and will not adapt as quickly as it would have been needed. Listen, I would have never thought I would spend six or seven years here, I was used to life flowing in a more alert rhythm,” says Glibko.
“But when I got here, it was excellent. I settled in pretty well and now when I go to bigger cities like Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca, it seems different, the traffic is worse, the pace of life is quicker. I feel like at home here, in Valcea, which means a lot.”
However, her production did not falter, becoming one of the best scorers in the Romanian league, the top scorer in the 2012/13 and 2017/18 seasons, a two-time champion and the most consistent scorer in the last decade, with over 1300 goals scored in the past 10 seasons.
What’s still driving Glibko, though?
“One cannot win a game by herself, right? It is impossible. So handball is a team sport, we all rely on our teammates, irrespective of how good is a player or how key a role she plays for a side. Still, I want to win, therefore this type of games, like the one against Paris, are motivating enough for me to want to play and win,” concludes the centre back.
