CSKA book early quarter-final ticket
Although HC Podravka Vegeta were technically the home side, they enjoyed no home comforts as their were beaten by CSKA in Moscow for the second time in two days.
The Russian team, who had struggled to victory on Sunday, now looked more focused and claimed their biggest win of the season, 36:20.
This result allowed them not only to overtake Györi Audi ETO KC on top of group B, but also to secure a top two finish in the group and thus claiming a quarter-final spot.
GROUP B
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs CSKA (RUS) 20:36 (10:16)
- CSKA now have 21 points, one more than Györ; last-placed Podravka suffered their tenth straight defeat and remain on two points
- the Russian team lead narrowly midway through the first half, 7:6, but then enjoyed a 7:2 run to pull 14:8 ahead
- by the 45th minute, CSKA established a double-digit lead, 26:16, and went on to score 36 goals, their best result in the campaign
- just like on Sunday, Chana Masson did a great job in CSKA's goal; this time she played from the start and recorded 13 saves
- Podravka's Lamprini Tsakalou was the game's top scorer with seven goals; Darya Dmitrieva netted six times for CSKA
CSKA with perfect record in 2021
Since the beginning of the year, the Russian team have won all five matches in Europe’s top flight.
Notably, four of these games took place in Moscow. After beating Brest and Dortmund at home, CSKA went on to win at Valcea, before continuing that run with two victories against Podravka.
