Summary: Bietigheim and Herning-Ikast take away wins
EHF European League Women quarter-finals first leg saw several teams take steps towards a place at the final weekend.
15:36
Both losing sides today suffered from being inconsistent when it mattered. SCM will be kicking themselves for some of the mistakes they made in the last 10 minutes, they really pushed Herning hard but lost control and let a flood of goals in. While Besancon outscored SG in latter parts of the second half to give them at least an outside chance for the return leg.
15:30
FULL-TIME SCORES
ES Besancon Feminin 23:29 SG BBM Bietigheim
SCM Ramnicu Valcea 33:39 Herning-Ikast Handbold
15:24
They huffed and puffed but getting to within one goal was as good as it got for SCM. From 31:30 the Danish side went on a 6:1 run to restore their lead. Friis has been incrible today. She is 10/13 and likewise Bakkerud has almost matched that tally with 9 goals but needed 15 shots to get there. 38:32 to Herning-Ikast.
15:07
It has turned into an easy day at the office of SG Bietigheim in their tie against ES Besancon Feminin. It is 24:18 to the German side. Julia Maidhof is having a field day with her eight goals as the German side look pretty much stronger in every area of the court.
15:02
One thing which I have noticed is a big problem for SCM is the lack of strong line. The Hungarian Asma Elghaoui is size-wise really struggling against a very strong, tall and commanding centre block of Herning-Ikast. CSM's whole backcourt play the struggles once she has been taken out of the mix. But they are still in the game at 27:24 to the Danish side.
14:58
What a pass by Sabine Englert in the Herning-Ikast goal! She picks out Emma Friis on the fast break; it was a pass that wouldn't have been on for most keepers but the experienced Englert went for it and timed it perfectly. It restored the visitors' four-goal lead, 27:23.
14:51
We are back for the second halves, join us now in EHFTV.com
14:36
HALF-TIME SCORES
ES Besancon Feminin 13:17 SG BBM Bietigheim
SCM Ramnicu Valcea 17:20 Herning-Ikast Handbold
14:28
The visitors in both ties are proving too strong for the hosts in the opening 20 minutes.
In France it is SG BBM Bietigheim's Lauenroth, Kudlacz-Gloc and Schulze who are causing Besancon the most problems with the trio netting three goals each thus far.
In Romania, four goals separate the sides with Bakkerud and Friis netting five and four goals respectively. Herning-Ikast lead 19:15 over SCM.
14:13
We cast an eye on our other tie of ES Besancon Feminin vs SG BBM Bietigheim and the teams were poised at 5:5 after a nippy start but it is SG who have pulled head thanks to goals from Lauenroth and Kudlacz, they now lead 9:5 and it is a team timeout for Besancon!
14:09
And we are off! After a tight opening few minutes, it is the visitors in Romania that have the upper hand. Herning-Ikast have a 7:3 lead over SCM after 8 minutes. But don't let that fool you, the host fans are hopping up and down and creating a great vibe in the hall so we can expect a push back from Bent Dahl's side!
13:45
You may have come across head coach of SCM Ramnicu Valcea Bent Dahl on Instagram, he has amassed a following of almost 70k due to his interesting handball highlights and tactical insights. And today the Danish head coach will need all his tactical nous as he comes up against favourites and fellow Danish side Herning-Ikast Handbold. Join us in 15 minutes to see if Bent has some aces up his sleeve.
We are looking forward to playing this first part of the European Cup quarter final. We're going to be up against a great team. We will have to be very rigorous. The objective remains the same for each match: victory.
19:52
Those were two very high-scoring games, with a total of 136 goals scored by the four teams in action. They will all be back next week in the return legs, with Baia Mare hoping to capitalise on today's strong performance and Viborg wanting to maintain their unbeaten streak. Second wins for both teams would take them to the EHF European League Finals in May.
19:31 FULL-TIME | STORHAMAR HANDBALL ELITE 31:33 VIBORG HK
Viborg were definitely favourites coming into this game, and proved their status by staying just a little calmer in the closing stages to take the win. However, Storhamar will surely be lifted by their performance. Two goals keeps them in the running as they visit Denmark next week.
19:25
Just over two minutes to play and it's 30:32 - Viborg are inching closer to a first-leg win.
19:16
Viborg are back to a two-goal lead, the biggest for some time. Coach Jakob Vestergard calls a timeout, clearly knowing his team have to use this chance to pull further ahead.
19:08
Neither side can find the advantage. Every goal is answered. Anniken Obaidli is standing out with nine goals but it's another high-scoring match, with the score currently at 26:25 and 13 minutes to go.
18:54
The second half has just thrown off and it's already 20:20. Here's a couple of great Viborg saves from the first half to enjoy.
18:41 HALF-TIME | STORHAMAR HANDBALL ELITE 19:18 VIBORG HK
This is a proper rollercoaster of a match! Storhamar retook the lead with a goal just before the buzzer and it's hard to say who has the advantage. Viborg looked for a little bit as though they were going to cruise away, but the hosts kept their heads. Both teams hopes of the EHF Finals remain very much alive right now.
18:28
Viborg have stopped Storhamar's flow: some saves by Anna Kristensen and a string of goals from Lærke Nolsøe have given the Danish visitors a three-goal lead. Viborg look a lot more comfortable now.
18:19
Viborg let Storhamar slip out to a three-goal lead, but have pegged it back with a 4:2 run. Both teams are making a few mistakes and are controlling the pace of the game so far.
18:08
Viborg scored first, but Storhamar responded quickly and now lead 6:4. Ane Høgseth, who's just 21, Bettina Riegelhuth and Anniken Obaidli have all scored twice for the home team.
17:47
Next up, it's our Nordic derby as Storhamar host Viborg. A win for Storhamar would mark Viborg's first defeat in the competition this year. Before the game Storhamar coach Kenneth Gabrielsen admitted the visitors are the favourites - but anything can happen when it really matters.
17:40 FULL-TIME | CS MINAUR BAIA MARE 40:32 SOLA HK
Live Rushfeldt Deila scores with 19 seconds left on the clock for Sola, but Baia Mare are celebrating a big eight-goal win that gives them a good chance of reaching the EHF Finals. The goalkeeping plus nine goals from Jelena Lavko made the difference for the Romanian side today.
17:26
Camilla Herrem has injured her right leg - it looks like cramp - and is helped off-court by Jelena Lavko and one of the Sola staff. It's another blow for the Norwegians, who will take a big deficit to the second leg next week.
17:20
We noted earlier on that Sola had the best attack in the competition in the group phase, while Baia Mare had the least-efficient attack of the eight quarter-finalists. However, Baia Mare are easily outscoring Sola today in a high-octane encounter - its 34:25 and there are still 10 minutes to play, so there's plenty of time for both teams to add to their total.
17:10
You can't miss this - just a lovely goal from Cristina Laslo. Sola have clawed back a few and Baia Mare lead by six.
17:05
The start to the second half that Sola needed has not emerged. Baia Mare have stretched out to a nine-goal lead and Steffen Stegavik has called a much-needed timeout.
Camilla Herrem, the competition's top scorer, is having a bit of an off-day against the side she played for in 2014/15. Until just now she had scored just once from one attempt early on in the match.
16:43 HALF-TIME | CS MINAUR BAIA MARE 18:14 SOLA HK
Cristina Enache's saves (six, for 30 per cent accuracy) and a strong outing from Jelena Lavko and Yaroslava Burlachenko continue to help the home team. However, Sola started to come back into the match just before the break, repeatedly closing back to a three-goal deficit, and if they start the second half well this could yet be a close affair.
16:29
With Sola now trailing 7:12, they need a few more saves like this one from Tonje Haug Lerstad.
16:20
At 4:4 Sola conceded a penalty, which spurred a 5:1 run from Baia Mare - the hosts have opened up a four-goal lead, with three goals each from Jelena Lavko and Yaroslava Burlachenko. Cristina Enache is also having a superb day in goal, saving 50 per cent of shots so far. Sola need to react quickly to stop this game running away from them too early on.
16:10
It's pretty even so far in Baia Mare, with the visitors responding to each goal from their hosts with one of their own.
16:02
Camilla Herrem accepts a Baia Mare jersey, puts it on her chair, and we're ready for throw-off.
This match pits the side with the most effective attack in the competition, Sola HK, with 196 goals, and the team that scored the lowest number of goals among the eight clubs in the quarter-finals, Baia Mare, with 154, against each other. It will be interesting to see how the differing styles affect today's outcome.
15:50
Baia Mare and Sola are warmed up and coverage will begin on EHFTV soon.
Before then, don't miss the key facts and figures from the group phase. Did you know that Sola are the only team to have made it all the way from qualification round 1 to this stage? And that in 17 group matches more than 60 goals were scored?
