EHF European Cup Women semi-finalists decided in thrilling games

Right in their second EHF European Cup Women season, Turkish side Bursa Büyüksehir BSK qualified for the next phase after a thrilling encounter in Greece and will face two-time semi-finalists MSK IUVENTA Michalovce from Slovakia for a spot in the final. The semi-finals will be played on 18/19 April and 25/26 April.

QUARTER-FINALS

ATTICGO Bm Elche (ESP) vs Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes (ESP) 20:20 (10:8)

First leg 20:21. Score on aggregate 41:40 in favour of Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes.

Jazmin Mendoza Peralta was the hero of Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes in the second leg of the quarter-finals, as the 23-year-old netted the equaliser with four seconds remaining, which lifted her side to the semi-finals. The visitors had a flying 4:1 start, before Elche got the upper hand — and then extended their lead to 15:11 in minute 42. Atlético Guardes fought back, levelled for 19:19 in minute 58, before Carmen Claudino netted for the 20:19 lead. After a time-out, Jazmin Mendoza Peralta finally grabbed the chance to score the last goal — and her side only needed 41 goals in two matches to proceed.

A.C. PAOK (GRE) vs Bursa Büyüksehir BSK (TUR) 34:29 (15:11)

First leg 30:36. Score on aggregate 65:64 in favour of Bursa Büyüksehir BSK.

After a thrilling match, Bursa Büyüksehir BSK made their semi-final dream come true. After the clear 36:30 win on home ground in the first leg, the tie was decided only with the last shot of the match. A buzzer-beater by Francisca Araújo João for the 34:29 — her ninth goal of the match — prevented Bursa from a penalty shoot-out. PAOK were dominant throughout the whole 60 minutes, and right after the break they had their first six-goal advantage (17:11). Bursa managed to reduce the gap to only two goals, at 20:22, and in crunch time the hosts were ahead by six, but did not manage to increase the difference to seven, which would have guaranteed them a semi-final berth. Even 14 goals by the outstanding Olympia Andritsou and 13 saves by goalkeeper Naira Mendes De Almeida were not enough for the Greek side to proceed.  

Cabooter Fortes Venlo (NED) vs MSK IUVENTA Michalovce (SVK) 23:31 (14:14)

MSK IUVENTA Michalovce (SVK) vs Cabooter Fortes Venlo (NED) 29:24 (15:13)

Score on aggregate 60:47 in favour of MSK IUVENTA Michalovce.

The decision in favour of the hosts had already been taken in the first leg on Friday. After Cabooter Fortes Venlo threw off with a strong start, leading 7:3, MSK IUVENTA Michalovce turned the match around with a 6:0 run from 4:8 to 10:8. Backed by a total of 15 saves of goalkeeper Jessy Bruls and seven goals of their top scorer Elisa Marsman, the Dutch visitors were on an almost equal level until the 22:24 in minute 53. But scoring only once until the final buzzer ended all hopes for Venlo. A 7:1 run in the last seven minutes provided Michalovce with a perfect base for the second leg on Sunday.  

Having the 31:23 win in mind, Michalovce did not have to give 100 per cent in the second leg — but, still, they had everything under control. Even in the close first half, Venlo were never ahead, and after the break the hosts had no problems pulling ahead for the decisive 22:16 in minute 43. Even a short comeback of the visitors, who reduced the gap to 24:26, did not hurt Michalovce, as they scored the last three goals and secured progression.

Costa del Sol Malaga (ESP) vs Hazena Kynzvart (CZE) 33:18 (16:12)

Hazena Kynzvart (CZE) vs Costa del Sol Malaga (ESP) 20:23 (10:13)

Score on aggregate 56:38 in favour of Costa del Sol Malaga.

Like in Michalovce, the quarter-finals double-header in Malaga was already decided after Friday’s first leg. Leading from the first minute on — and extending the gap easily after the break — Costa del Sol Malaga did not leave any doubts on the winners. Last season’s semi-finalists Hazena Kynzvart were quite close until 14:17 in minute 35, but then they were overrun by the hosts. A 10:1 run for the 27:15 was the decisive move and, in the end, the gap was 15 goals. Top scorers were Isabelle Dos Santos with eight strikes for Malaga and Veronika Vávrová, who netted six times, one third of all of Hazena Kynzvart' goals.

The rematch on Sunday was much closer — but the Spanish hosts were never endangered. 11 players combined for Malaga’s 23 goals. The top scorer of the second leg was Tereza Michalcová, who netted six times for Hazena Kynzvart. After nine minutes, the hosts were ahead by 6:2, as the overall margin rose to 19 goals. After the break, the Czech side reduced the difference to just one, but a double strike for the 22:19 secured Malaga’s second victory and a ticket to the semi-finals. 

Main photo © Marek Findrik