BV Borussia 09 Dortmund took an important step to clinching a berth in the DELO EHF Champions League 2021/22 play-offs after securing their fourth win of the season, 32:24, against HC Podravka Vegeta.
The German side opened a seven-point gap ahead of the last two teams in the standings, Buducnost BEMAX and Podravka Vegeta, with only five games to go in the group phase.
GROUP A
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) 24:32 (10:17)
- BV Borussia 09 Dortmund made an important step to clinching a play-off berth, after snatching their fourth win of the season
- a nine-save first half from Dortmund’s goalkeeper Yara ten Holte, made the difference between the two sides
- the 17 goals scored by the German champions in the first half were only one shy of their record tally in the DELO EHF Champions League, set against Buducnost, in September 2021
- Dutch pair Merel Freriks and Laura van der Heijden were the driving force for Dortmund, combining for 11 goals in the German side’s clear win, their largest ever away win in the European premium competition
- Dortmund improved their overall winning percentage in the DELO EHF Champions League to 32%, securing eight wins in the 25 games they have played in the competition
- Podravka are on an eight-game losing streak, with their last win in the DELO EHF Champions League coming in the first game of the season, against Buducnost BEMAX, on 11 September 2021
- The German side opened a seven-point gap ahead of the last two teams in the standings, Buducnost BEMAX and Podravka, with only five games to go in the group phase
Dortmund take full advantage of Podravka’s woes
With only one win in the past five games, BV Borussia 09 Dortmund were starting to crumble under the pressure of the DELO EHF Champions League, falling down the standings after a flawless start to the group phase.
However, the start of 2022 was exactly what the German champions needed, as they went clear from the start, and enjoyed a good 59% shooting efficiency to down Podravka, 32:24. It was the eighth consecutive loss for the Croatian side, who are looking increasingly under pressure to qualify and are edging closer to their record losing streak of 14 games, set between 2020 and 2021.
We are happy that we took two points and it was very important to take them because we want to reach next round. I think we made a good match and we played our way of handball, took easy goals. And even our captain Grijsells is injured and is missing I am happy for all this performance. I found some small mistakes in defence and attack but in the end I am happy to take this points.
