The empty throne awaits its to-be queens
The empty throne awaits its to-be queens
Győri Audi ETO KC and CSM Bucuresti meet in the final of the Women’s EHF Champions League. Both their previous encounters in the competition were won by the Hungarian powerhouse, but so were the Romanian outfit’s matches with Vardar, who they easily put aside in the semi-final. Can Bucuresti come up with the biggest surprise of all?
Women's EHF Champions League Final:
Győri Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU)
Sunday, 8 May, 17:45 hrs local time, live on ehfTV
It is no surprise Győr reached the final of the Women’s EHF Champions League althought the Hungarian outfit had to give their all to overcome Buducnost but there were few who tipped Bucuresti to defeat Vardar and make it to the final in their first ever season in the Champions League.
It is the second time a Romanian team reaches the final of the competition, yet again under the guidance of a Danish coach but Bucuresti still have a huge mountain to climb for the title as Győr showed some high-quality defending against their arch rivals in the semi-final.
However, Ambros Martín’s team had to fight until the last seconds and give their all to seal their place in the final while Bucuresti made beating Vardar look easy and as the game was as good as done after 40 minutes Kim Rasmussen even had the chance to rest some of his key players.
As claimed by almost all players, who ever played in a FINAL4 format, physical condition, strength and stamina will be decisive factors.
Kari Aalvik Grimsbö put up a solid performance against Buducnost but she was overshadowed by Jelena Grubisic’s game winning performance in Bucuresti’s goal.
What’s more the ex-Győr goalkeeper, who left the team after a serious injury, knows most of her to-be opponents very well having played with them in 2015.
Győr and Bucuresti locked horns two times this season and both Main Round encounters were won by the Hungarian side. The match in Győr was a walk in the park for Ambros Martín’s team (28-22) while the reverse fixture was more balanced but Győr once again restricted the Romanian team to 22 goals.
Kim Rasmussen will need to find out how to beat the notorious defence of ETO because 22 goals might not be enough to steal the trophy from Budapest.
Győr are preparing for their third final in four years, the Hungarian powerhouse is obviously a heavy favourite to win the final, however, Bucuresti are the masters of surprises: having beaten Rostov Don and Vardar against the odds the Romanian outfit are eager to go all the way.
