Györ retain unbeaten status with majestic comeback
Györi Audi ETO KC made it eight wins out of eight games in the EHF Champions League Women 2023/24 group phase with an impressive comeback against SG BBM Bietigheim on Saturday. Their 31:29 victory against the German champions put six points ahead in the group standings, and the Hungarian side is closing in on a quarter-finals berth.
Elsewhere, CSM Bucuresti and Brest Bretagne Handball sealed crucial away wins against DVSC Schaeffler and WHC Buducnost BEMAX. Vipers Kristiansand stopped a four-game winless streak to secure their first win after more than one month, 35:30, against CS Rapid Bucuresti.
We missed a lot of chances in the beginning so we lost our confidence and we could not get back to the match later. But I would not say I am extremely disappointed, because we lost against a very good team. Of course it could have ended better, but today that was all we had.
It was a very intense game. There were a lot of similar things to last week, and a lot of different ones. I think we found solutions for last week’s problem in defence, and in offence as well. Today my players were calm and disciplined, that’s why we could win.
We played a really good match as we did in Sweden. I have told my girls several times that they have the spirit so we have to keep playing and we know they are a team with a lot of potential and if we stop fighting then they will come back.
It is a really tough game we faced. Before the game we talked about behaviour, and we wanted to fight through the game. I have a different feeling, even though they are punishing us, because we showed the right spirit.
From the first minute it was evident that we did not have the attitude and energy we needed. There wasn't even the winning mentality that we showed in the first game in Brest, and that's exactly what this team needs, because this team needs energy and combativeness at the highest possible level in every match.
We showed more discipline than in the first game. We showed good energy and from the first minute we knew what we wanted. I am proud of my team and we are going to the break after winning two important points.
Having a break is going to be fantastic. We definitely need some rest, and we get the time to practise some things we don’t have time for in the middle of the season. We’re going to use the time well.
Our group is very tight and open, and you can win or lose against anyone. I think everything was really close today, and we’re disappointed by the loss, but we have to keep working. After the break we have a lot of matches still, and our goal is to qualify for the next round. It’s going to be a challenge, but we are ready for it.
