Rapid beat Storhamar in battle of rookies

GROUP B

CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 27:25 (14:15)

• Rapid are undefeated in the EHF Champions League Women, winning four games and drawing two to put them second in the group. They are tied with Györi Audi ETO KC but have an inferior goal difference
• goalkeeper Ivana Kapitanovic came on at the start of the second half and made an impact for Rapid, saving eight shots for a 42.1% saving efficiency, which prevented Storhamar from scoring more than 10 goals in the last 30 minutes
• left wing Jennifer Gutierrez Bermejo was crucial to Rapid’s win. She scored five of her team’s last seven goals, prompting an 8:4 run to end the match
• the Norwegian side have lost three games on the trot in away matches, but they led by two goals, 21:19, with 12 minutes to go
• Rapid are one of the two unbeaten teams in the EHF Champions League Women, as the competition enters a break for EHF EURO 2022. SG BBM Bietigheim are the other unbeaten side

Rapid survive a huge scare

If you are a Rapid fan, things have been not looked better, but the Romanian side is definitely a team that likes to live dangerously. Three of their four wins this season have been sealed by fewer than four goals, with the latest one, 27:25 against Storhamar, being a clear example of the issues that have hurt the Romanian champions.

Their attack has been misfiring lately. Plenty of turnovers have plagued them and they needed help from the wings and line players to cover for an off afternoon for their backs. Storhamar led by three goals in during the second half.

There needs to be an improvement, but Rapid look certain to qualify, while Storhamar will be trying to learn from this experience, in their first-ever season in the EHF Champions League Women, with better finishing needed at this level.