Paris (AFP)
The Brest handball players lost in Moscow against CSKA 25 to 24, late Saturday afternoon, on behalf of the Champions League, and complicate their task a little in the race for one of the two tickets direct for shifts.
Coralie Lassource's teammates retain their second place in this strong group, with 14 points (six wins, two draws, two losses), tied with the Hungarians of Györ, triple title holders (2017, 2018, 2019) but who however, have two fewer matches on the clock.
This setback in Moscow (25-24), the second against CSKA after that conceded in the first leg at home (30-28) in mid-October, revives the Muscovites, who have 13 points, but also two late matches. compared to Brest, to play against the Croats of Koprivnica.
To get the precious direct ticket to the quarters, the Bretons must take one of the first two places in the group, otherwise they will have to go through a roadblock to access the quarters.
Saturday in the hall of CSKA, the players of Laurent Bezeau, who will leave the club at the end of the season, lost too many balls, especially in the first period, but managed to regain the locker room tied (12-12) at the break, thanks to the parades of Danish BBH goalkeeper Sandra Toft (16 in total, 38%).
The first minutes of the second period allowed the Brestoises to take control of the meeting (17-15, 38th), but the Russians remained in contact, carried by the seven goals of left-back Ekaterina Ilina.
French pivot Pauletta Foppa, silent until the 50th minute, scored four goals in the last ten minutes, but missed the ball to pass in the last three minutes (24-24, 57th).
On the following action, the Serbian pivot Sladjana Pop-Lazic, excellent in shooting (3/4) suffered the only temporary exclusion of two minutes on the Brest side and the Russians were able to score the 25th goal of the victory by Polina Gorschkova ( 6 of 8 in the match).
The Brestoises receive in eight days the Montenegrins of Buducnost in their arena behind closed doors, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and will have to win to continue the three-way match with Moscow and Györ for one of the two sesames for quarters.
© 2021 AFP