Attacking masterclass lifts Györ to victory

Attacking masterclass lifts Györ to victory

In their 200th match in the Women’s EHF Champions League, Györ delivered another superb attacking performance, scoring at least 30 goals for the 11th time this season in 12 games, in a 33:26 win against Vipers Kristiansand.

The Norwegian side, who are one of the surprise packages of the season, could only rival the Hungarian powerhouse for 35 minutes, with two runs limiting Vipers to only two goals scored lifting Györ to another impressive win.

• The Hungarian side is the fourth team to play 200 games in the EHF Champions League, after Buducnost (244), Krim (238) and Larvik (202)
• Playing in her home country against the Norwegian champions, Stine Oftedal was Györ’s top scorer with eight goals
• Györ will face Odense in the next phase of the competition, while Vipers can earn a DELO WOMEN’S EHF FINAL 4 berth if they eliminate Buducnost

GROUP 2
Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) 26:33 (17:17)

Both sides had secured their places in the standings, but they were still motivated to go for the win. Györ had the opportunity to extend their 20-match unbeaten streak, while another good game would surely boost Vipers’ spirits before their quarter-final against Buducnost.
 
Relying more on defence than in previous matches, Györ tried once again to go all-out attack and they were soon firing on all cylinders, taking a 7:5 lead, with four players scoring in the first ten minutes.
 
But a 3:0 run from Vipers, whose first nine goals were scored by seven different players, saw the game turned on its head, with the Norwegian side taking the lead for the first time, 9:8.

It was Györ’s back court players who were in top form, as playmakers Stine Oftedal and Nycke Groot along with left back Eduarda Amorim, who made her comeback after an injury, found easy ways to score.

But it was Norwegian Stine Oftedal who really excelled in her homecoming, scoring six times in the first half, yet this was not enough, and the deadlock was not broken at half-time, 17:17.

The 4:1 run to start the second half for Györ, spurred again by their back court, was pivotal to the match’s outcome – as was another 5:1 run for Györ which prompted Vipers to take a timeout.
 
But it was too little, too late, with Györ creating an unassailable 27:20 lead.
 
The 33:26 win helped Györ extend their unbeaten streak to 21 games, which is only one shy of their record in the EHF Champions League.
 
The title holders won the group and will face Odense in the next phase, while Vipers finished second and will meet Buducnost.