CSKA show quality at Sävehof

In the reverse fixture in Moscow, CSKA had won by just one goal against IK Sävehof – and at home the Swedish team also showed resistance for much of the game. However, the Russian champions had more quality, and they ultimately proved it by winning 32:23.

GROUP B
IK Sävehof (SWE) vs CSKA (RUS) 23:32 (10:14) 

• Sävehof 's goalkeeper Sofie Börjesson made 11 saves in the first half, as her team took a 3:0 lead and were in front at 9:8 in the 17th minute
• however, CSKA improved their defence, and a 6:1 run secured them a four-goal lead at half-time
• the home team cut the deficit to 20:17 midway through the second half, but following a timeout taken by Florentin Pera, CSKA had a 5:0 run to increase the gap to eight goals
• Ana Gros stood out with her seven goals for the Russian side, while Jamina Roberts netted six time for Sävehof
• CSKA climbed to the fourth place with 12 points, while Sävehof suffered their fifth straight defeat and remain seventh-placed with four points 

Goalkeepers in top form

It was a match where both goalkeepers had a chance to show their quality. While Börjesson stood like a wall in the first half, when she made 11 of her 14 saves, her opposite number from CSKA Anna Sedoykina did not start the game so well but improved a lot as the match developed. In the end, the 37-year-old also recorded 14 saves, boasting a 38 per cent save efficiency to help CSKA to earn their first victory in the continental top flight in 2022, as they had drawn with Odense Håndbold and lost to Vipers Kristiansand in their two previous matches.

Post-match quotes

Rasmus Overby, IK Sävehof head coach:

“We played really well during the first 20 minutes when we played tough in defence and helped our goalkeeper. During the last 10 minutes of the second half we were not completely there. The next time we meet a team like CSKA we need to play really well for 60 minutes.”

Anne Tolstrup, IK Sävehof player:

“It was a fun game to play and we did well in the first half, but every time you make a mistake they came back and managed to score against us. My feeling was that we were more in the game than we actually were, and it is not nice to be behind by nine goals.”

Florentin Pera, CSKA head coach:

“I’m proud of my players because they fought in defence. I think defence was our strong point today and in attack we respected the plan that we had. I’m very happy for this victory.”

Darya Dmitirieva, CSKA centre back:

“It was a really tough beginning of the match and it was difficult to play because Sävehof wanted to run and run and play a fast handball.”