Dortmund earn maiden EHF Finals ticket after spectacular comeback

QUARTER-FINAL, SECOND LEG
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) vs Neptunes de Nantes (FRA) 32:22 (13:11)
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund won 51:50 on aggregate

With a good early defensive display, Nantes took a 2:0 lead. Dortmund improved their game with the help of Zöe Sprengers (6:5). Four of Dortmund's first six goals came from Sprengers, and was she unstoppable until her unfortunate injury in defence when her teammate stumbled on an opponent and fell on her. However, that moment inspired Dortmund even more as they propelled themselves to a four-goal lead. The home side could have gained an even a wider gap, but Adriana Placzek helped Nantes with seven saves at a 37 per cent efficiency before half-time.

It was nice to see Sprengers back on the court in the second half, netting three more times. Crucially, Yara Ten Holte read every Nantes attempt, stopping nine shots in 20 minutes and helping Dortmund produce a blistering run to take a 26:19 lead. The seven-goal lead woke up the fans in the stands, who became louder with every new goal from Alina Grijseels. A strong 5-1 defence forced Nantes to make new mistakes, and the home side slowly reached a 10-goal lead. Lena Gradveau was the top scorer for her side with five goals but was left with sorrow after making two technical errors in the last moments.

The draw for the semi-final pairings of the EHF Finals Women will be drawn on Tuesday 28 March at 4pm in Graz, Austria. 

Photo credit: Wolfgang Stummbillig