Brest take advantage of Bietigheim’s woes to score big win

GROUP A

Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) 32:28 (17:18)

• the depleted German side had only 12 players on the match sheet, due to injuries to left wing Antje Doll, line player Danick Snelder, right wing Veronika Mala and centre back Inger Smits
• their lack of depth was exploited by Brest, who took advantage and finished the match with a 5:1 run in the last nine minutes, to clinch only their third win of the season
• German back Kim Naidzinavicius scored eight goals for Bietigheim, her best outing in the European premium competition since February 2021, when she scored 10 times against another French opponent, Metz Handball
• right wing Alicia Toublanc had an outstanding game for Brest, scoring nine goals. A strong and steady hand at the penalty line, she converted all the five penalties that Brest had in the match
• the French side have cut the gap to only three points behind Bietigheim, who are in a clear tailspin and have only secured a single point in their last six matches. The gap to the top two places has now also increased to three points

Bietigheim's injuries cost them dearly

Brest have definitely been in a downward spiral this season, but this week's doubleheader against Bietigheim was exactly what they needed, as they nearly doubled their number of points in the standings, taking three out of four against the German powerhouse.

Bietigheim collapsed in the last ten minutes when their injury woes became readily apparent once defensive stalwart Xenia Smits saw the red card after collecting three two-minute suspensions. It was the proverbial nail in the coffin for Markus Gaugisch's side, who had no answer to what Brest brought in attack.

The French side also had one of their best attacking games this season, scoring 32 goals, in a free-flowing attack that worked wonders and delivered a huge win. Brest is now three points clear of Krim Mercator Ljubljana in the standings, in the fight for the sixth place, the last one providing safe passage to the play-offs phase.