BVB handball women celebrate shock win over Bucharest | OneFootball

Personnel

Coach Kay Rothenpieler still has to do without Emma Olsson (thigh), Lena Hausherr (knee), and Pam Korsten (knee).

Match summary

As expected, the match started at an intense pace. Dortmund initially had to find their rhythm in attack against a solid Bucharest defense. Ona Vegué eventually scored the first goal for the Black and Yellows. Bucharest repeatedly capitalized on Dortmund’s technical errors with quick transitional play and had opened up a five-goal lead through fast breaks by the tenth minute.

Coach Kay Rothenpieler reacted by taking his first timeout. Changes then followed in the back court and on the line. Dana Bleckmann came on for Guro Nestaker, while Laetitia Quist replaced Alieke van Maurik. Quist had initially been used exclusively in defense. BVB improved in the following minutes and scored several times, but they were unable to cut the visitors’ lead decisively. The teams went into the locker rooms with the score at 13:20.

After the break, BVB made further adjustments. In defense, Dortmund lined up in a 5:1 formation, while in attack they played with a seventh outfield player. Although the first two goals of the second half went to the visitors from Bucharest, BVB then began to build real momentum. Goal by goal, the Black and Yellows reduced the deficit. It was Alieke van Maurik who made it 21:24 in the 40th minute. CSM coach Bojana Popović then called a timeout.

But the next goal also went to the Black and Yellows: Lara Egeling made it 22:24, and on the other end Nicole Wiggins saved a seven-meter throw from the visitors. BVB’s comeback gathered even more pace, and the sensation suddenly seemed within reach. It was eventually Guro Nestaker who scored to level it at 24:24. Dortmund fought for every ball, but Bucharest took the lead again. BVB coach Rothenpieler called his second timeout — and it had an effect. Merel Freriks put the Black and Yellows back in front, and Guro Nestaker added another shortly after. Only a few minutes remained.

With a strong Nicole Wiggins behind them, Dortmund held onto their lead and even managed to score while down by two players with three minutes left. Relief finally came through Kelly Vollebregt, who scored both Dortmund’s 33rd and 34th goals. When Alina Grijseels made it 35:32 on the final buzzer, there was no holding back. All the players stormed onto the court and fell into each other’s arms.

BVB thus celebrated their first win of the current Champions League season — and did so against former Final Four participant CSM Bucuresti.

Reaction

Coach Kay Rothenpieler: “That was a huge effort. We played a superb second half. We defended very well, very aggressively, and everyone believed in it. Up front, we found good solutions in the seven-on-six and kept getting closer. Then we managed to make Bucharest nervous, and they gave away a few balls. All I can do is take my hat off to the team’s performance in the second half. That is important for the team and for all of us. It was a good step in the right direction.”

Alina Grijseels: “We’re obviously absolutely delighted. It just feels good to see how we played, especially in the second half. At halftime, we said that we had nothing to lose. Then we made changes — to a 5:1 in defense and seven-on-six in attack. That worked extremely well and we got into the flow. Bucharest had no answer anymore. And then our body language was simply back as well. It may even be a bit of a shame now that we’re heading into the international break, but at least we’re going into it with a good feeling. And when we come back, we’re looking forward to the next games.”

Outlook

The first national team week of the current season is now coming up. Eight Dortmund players have been called up by their national team coaches for the upcoming sessions. Sarah Wachter, Dana Bleckmann, Alina Grijseels, Mareike Thomaier, and Lisa Antl are part of the German national team. The DHB team will face Spain on Friday, September 25, and Sunday, September 27, in Spain. Alieke van Maurik, Merel Freriks, and Kelly Vollebregt are away with the Netherlands national team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.