handnews [handnews.blogspot.com]

October 30, 2003

No Placement Matches
Good news ahead of the World Championship. No more of the pointless placement matches between the eliminated teams. The teams placed from 7-24 will be ranked according to previous results in the tournament. Based on objective criteria. Only 5th place will be contested because of its importance.

# posted 23:50 |

Touray Latest Ikast Casualty
Ikast/Bording's right wing Josephine Touray injured her groin against Randers HK and will not participate in Moebelringen Cup in Norway next week. She will also be missing from the already decimated Ikast line-up against Slagelse on Saturday in the Super Cup.

# posted 22:56 |

October 29, 2003

Handicapped Ikast Thrashed by Randers
A strongly impaired Ikast/Bording side suffered one of their clearest losses in a long time when they were humbled 32-23 (17-12) in Randers on Wednesday evening.

In addition to Sanja Jovovic, Ikast had to face Randers without the services of such important players as Kristine Andersen and Narcisa Paunica, both of them sidelined with injury.

In their absence, Gro Hammerseng (9) and Lise Knudsen (8) both accounted well for themselves from the back court. But they were no match for the strong trio of Steluta Luca (7), Tanja Milanovic (6), and Chao Zhai (6) in the Randers attack.

Morten Arvidsson's team have seen a mixed start to the season, but their fifth win of the season move them up to the third place in the standings. However, Ikast in fourth place have a game in hand.

3,012 witnessed the rare win over Ikast in Randers-hallen.

Other results:
Horsens - SK Aarhus 29-21 (13-11)
Horsens: Asa Eriksson 7, Heidi Soendergaard 6, Christina Kristensen 5. Aarhus: Christina K. Pedersen 7, Marianne Rokne 5, Camilla Transel 3.

Soenderjyske HK - FCK Håndbold 18-24 (12-11)
SHK: Stine Svangaard 5, Petra Schultz 4, Susan Andersen 3. FCK: Lene Tobiasen 5, Mette Vestergaard 5, Eszter Siti 4.

FOX Team Nord - GOG 19-29 (10-17)
FOX: Mette Nielsen 7, Anja Kristensen 4, Ingrid Hrckova 3. GOG: Ragnhild Aamodt 8, Tina Flognman 6, Monique Feijen 5.

# posted 22:42 |

Larvik Squashed Vipers
Larvik HK ran away from Vaag Vipers in the second half to complete a resounding 38-29 victory in Bergslihallen over their presumed strongest rivals.

Vaag kept up the pace with the Norwegian champions in the first half and even led 12-9 at one point. In the beginning of the second half, the match was tied at 20-20 before Larvik displayed their superiority.

# posted 22:33 |

Ladefoged and Nielsen Included
Tine Ladefoged of Horsens HK has been called in to fill some of the gaps at the back positions at the next training session of the Danish national team. Gitte W. Nielsen of FCK is also going to Bornholm where the team is gathering on Friday.

# posted 17:26 |

Hoffmann Nominates
German national coach Ekke Hoffmann has nominated 34 players, distributed on A and B squads, for a training camp in the next week in Bad Zwichenahn. The A squad consists of:

Sabine Englert (Bayer Leverkusen (Keeper)
Heike Zornow (VfL Oldenburg) (Keeper)
Sylvia Harlander (1. FC Nürnberg) (Keeper)
Michaela Schanze (SV Union Halle-Neustadt) (Keeper)
Nadine Härdter (BVB 09 Dortmund)
Ingrida Radzeviciute (HC Leipzig)
Grit Jurack (HC Leipzig)
Milica Danilovic (HC Leipzig)
Susanne Henze (Buxtehuder SV )
Nikola Pietzsch (HC Leipzig)
Melanie Schliecker (Buxtehuder SV)
Kathrin Blacha (1. FC Nürnberg)
Anja Althaus (DJK/MJC Trier)
Heike Ahlgrimm (Bayer Leverkusen)
Heike Schmidt (VfL Oldenburg)
Stefanie Melbeck (Buxtehuder SV)
Agnieszka Tobiasz (1. FC Nürnberg)
Janet Grunow (BVB 09 Dortmund)
Nadine Krause (Bayer Leverkusen)
Silke Meier (DJK/MJC Trier)

# posted 17:21 |

Live Update
Haandbold.com, a new Danish handball site, will be providing live updates from tonight's marquee match in the League between Randers HK and Ikast-Bording which begins at 19:30 CET.

Other matches:
Fox Team Nord - GOG
Horsens HK - SK Aarhus
Soenderjyske HK - FCK Håndbold

Another big brawl is expected in Norway where the two superior teams, Larvik HK and Vaag Vipers, meet for the first time this season in Bergslihallen in Larvik. Both teams are undefeated in Gildeserien with 14 points for 7 games and their goal difference is similar. Larvik have not lost a home match in the league since March 1999. And they are on 57-match winning streak.

Vipers, steered by the Lunde sisters and Elise Alsand, will be looking to end that dominant run.

# posted 17:08 |

October 28, 2003

Strong Aalborg Crush Kolding
After three losses in a row, Aalborg DH put in the strongest performance of the season to dismantle Kolding IF 35-25 (17-13) at home in the Gigantium arena.

Agnes Farkas (8/3), Heidi Astrup (7), and Natalia Deriouguina (6) were the dominant figures in the Aalborg attack, but Swedish wing Erika Nilsson (4) is also starting to show teeth.

Prior to the clash in Aalborg, Kolding had won four of five matches so far this season. But Camilla Carstens (6/1), Anette Bonde (5), and Anette Olesen (5) couldn't prevent the clear defeat for the visitors.

Aalborg DH received a powerful backing by a crowd of 3,612. Not bad for a Tuesday evening. A few minutes of the match in the first half can be seen on the Net TV of the TV 2 regions.

# posted 22:09 |

Ditte Andersen Severely Injured
Ditte Andersen will miss most of the season, including the World Championship in Croatia, after sustaining a serious knee ligament injury that will sideline her for at least six months.

The tall, slender GOG player was one of the main pillars of the strong Danish defense at last December's European Championship. Her injury is also a major setback for GOG-Gudme who have had an unsteady begin to the season.

# posted 20:59 |

Dalmose Announces Ikast Departure
Christian Dalmose will quit as head coach of Ikast/Bording at the end of the 2003/2004 season. He was expected to negotiate a prolonging of his contract with the club in November before this surprising announcement was released.

Dalmose has enjoyed considerable success during his 30-month stay in Ikast. Winning the EHF Cup in 2002, the Danish Cup in 2001, and reaching the Champions League semifinals in 2003 must be considered the highlights after he took over from Lars Friis-Hansen.

Dalmose emphasizes that there are no hard feelings between himself and the club, but does not disclose why he has decided to leave Ikast.

Morten Arvidsson, who is losing his Randers gig to Kjersti Grini next season, is already popping up as a potential successor.

# posted 12:22 |

October 27, 2003

Viborg's French Headache
Viborg HK will have to do without Leila Lejeune and Valerie Nicolas for the Danish Cup semifinal clash with Randers HK on November 12. Both players have duties with the French national team who are preparing for the World Championship on that date.

SK Aarhus, who play their semifinal with Ikast on November 14, will try to fly their French player Stephanie Moreau in from Paris.

Viborg coach Ryan Zinglersen describes the situation as "grotesque" and now wants the handball organisations to emulate the practice of the football world where dates for such training camps are fixed for all nations to avoid players being absent from their clubs at different times.

# posted 22:42 |

Anja's New Assistant
Brian Lyngholm made such a good impression on Slagelse as substitute coach that he has been hired as Anja Andersen's new assistant coach. Lyngholm, who was the head coach of Viborg HK in the past, took over from Anja Andersen temporarily when the she was banned for three matches.

The Super Cup over the weekend will be Lyngholm's first major task as second fiddle to one of the most temperamental coaches in Denmark. Former assistant Gert Hansen has decided to step back because of work duties.

# posted 22:34 |

Kiaerskou Voicing Croatia Doubts
One of the key Danish players for the World Championship in December is in jeopardy of missing the tournament. Viborg HK's Lotte Kiaerskou is still struggling with a bad case of tenosynovitis in her wrist.

Because of the pain involved in playing she doesn't know if she will be ready in time for Croatia. Last year she missed the European Championship on home soil after getting injured the day before the tournament began.

Kristine Andersen, Ikast's dynamic playmaker, is also still injured, giving Danish coach Jan Pytlick even more worries.

# posted 22:25 |

Ikast Eyeing Junior Talent
Ikast's sports manager Kim Lohmann has made it no secret that he wants to sign the promising line player Ane Brustuen who took part in the e-Boks Challenge for Norway.

The young player from Gjoevik and Vardal was named best line player of the Junior World Championship this summer and has now positioned herself as third choice for the senior team behind Soerlie-Lybek and Hilmo.

Kim Lohmann noticed Brustuen when he visited the Norwegian club to get hold of her former teammate Gro Hammerseng and tried to enlist her for this season. But she wasn't ready for such a big step, and the Ikast manager will have to wait a while to bring her to Denmark and potentally fill a gap left by Tonje Kjaergaard who could be retiring within a foreseeable future.

# posted 22:16 |

Honours for Assink
Dutch star pivot Olga Assink was named as the best player of the Lucardi Cup. With 36 goals she also grabbed top scorer status. Romanian Paula Radulescu was honoured as the best keeper of the tournament.

# posted 21:58 |

October 26, 2003

Denmark and Roslyng Bounce Back
Denmark wiped away parts of the stain from yesterday's outright whipping by outscoring Serbia and Montenegro 30-27 (14-15) in Farum Arena to place second in the e-Boks Challenge.

There was little difference between the two sides in the first half, but Denmark pulled ahead at the beginning of the second half to attain a 23-18 lead. However, the match was shortly invigorated as the Serbians plucked 4 goals back.

The absence of the benched Ljiljana Knezevic and Tatjana Medved on the shooting range was too big a handicap, though, and Denmark pulled ahead a decisive 28-23 within the last 10 minutes.

Christina Roslyng Hansen, who is locked in battle with Henriette Mikkelsen for a Croatia call-up, put in a remarkable performance with 8 goals after failing to register on the radar screen against Norway. Keeper Lene Rantala also came up with a dazzling showing to underline her status as one of Denmark's top two keepers. Pivot Camilla Thomsen was similarly an impressive sight, racking up 6 goals.

Anne Petersen, left-handed Tertnes player and a recent discovery, finally showed why Jan Pytlick saw it fit to include her in the Danish squad. She was awarded much less court time than captain Mette Vestergaard, but was more effective with her shots from the right back-court.

The Serbians relied on Bojana Petrovic, who scored 7 goals in what was actually a lacklustre performance, for most of their offensive aspirations. But Marina Rokic, Tanja Milanovic, and Maja Savic also emphazied their qualities.

# posted 23:12 |

Norway Lose Grip
The one-woman show by Vigdis Haarsaker ended unexpectedly when Germany orchestrated a late charge to gain a surprising 29-29 draw with Norway in the last round of the e-Boks Challenge in Denmark.

Larvik's disputed signing ransacked the German defense on her way to 11 goals from just 14 tries. But despite the formidable display from 22-year-old Haarsaker, Norway dropped a commanding 25-19 lead in the second half.

The Germans tried a more aggressive approach in defense and successfully frustrated the Norwegian favourites into giving up the lead. With 30 seconds to go, as all attention was focused on Grit Jurack, the tall lefty fed a completely unmarked Kathrin Blacha on the 6m line and she equalized the match.

Top scorers:
Norway: Vigdis Haarsaker 11, Katja Nyberg 3, Anette H. Johansen 3, Unni N. Hinkel 3 (1), Kristine Lunde 3 (2)
Germany: Jurack 6 (1), Danilovic 5 (3), Kathrin Blacha 3, Stephanie Melbeck 3, Ingrida Radzeviciute 3 (2)

# posted 22:49 |

Macedonia Strike Back
Macedonia came back strong after the break to win the second test match with Austria 30-28 (14-18) in Südstadt south of Vienna. Bujanova scored no fewer than 14 goals for the Macedonians. She was assisted by 6 goals from right wing Todorovska who was formerly known as Malakhova.

For the Austrians, Ausra Fridrikas scored 9 (1 pen.) times and should now be agonizingly close to scoring her 1000th goal for the Austrian national team. Tanja Logvin joined her with 7 (1) goals and Sylvia Strass contributed with 4.

# posted 18:19 |

e-Boks Challenge Cup Results
Norway - Germany 29-29 (17-15)
Denmark - Serbia and Montenegro 30-27 (14-15)

# posted 17:53 |

Romania Grab Lucardi Cup
Romania defeated the Netherlands 25-23 in the last round of Lucardi Cup in Rotterdam to take home the Cup. Romania won all of their 5 matches and finish with a maximum of 10 points. The Dutch land in second place with 8 points.

Spain took out Portugal 25-21 to grab third place, while Sweden rampaged Greece 39-15 to finish fourth.

# posted 14:07 |

Hypo Lose Again
Hypo NÖ suffered yet another defeat in the Hungarian league when they were beaten 31-29 (15-17) at home by Cornexi-Alcoa on Saturday.

Leading scorers Hypo: Rotis 9 (5), Horacek 5, Viunaite 4. Cornexi: Gisca 7 (3), Kulcsar 6 (1), Siti 5.

# posted 14:02 |

Logvin and Fridrikas Unite to Overcome Macedonia
Austria won 28-23 (15-12) against Macedonia in the first of two test matches in the Südstadt. Logvin (9/2) and Fridrikas (6) supplied most of the firepower for the home team, while Kocevska (8) and Todorovska (5) were the leading scorers of the visitors.

Austria's Danish coach Ole Eliasen said afterwards:

"It wasn't a pretty game, we made a lot of technical mistakes. But it was good that we still managed to win clearly. The players still have to get used to each other. I expect us to play better tomorrow."

# posted 13:53 |

October 25, 2003

Petrovic Shines for Serbia
Bojana Petrovic and Ljiljana Knezevic scored 10 goals apiece as Serbia and Montenegro defeated Germany 32-28 (18-9) in the e-Boks Challenge.

Serbia: Bojana Petrovic 10 (1), Ljiljana Knezevic 10 (4), Tanja Milanovic 4. Germany: Grit Jurack 7, Suzanne Henze 4, Kathrin Blacha 4.

# posted 22:23 |

Norway Pillage Danes
Norway showed formidable form as they outclassed the Danish home team 26-20 (15-10) on the second day of the e-Boks Challenge.

Norway raced to a 8-3 lead in the first half and even extended to 13-7 before slowing down. Denmark improved their defense after the interval as keeper Karin Mortensen made a good account of herself. The Danes cut a Norwegian lead of 19-12 down to 19-17 through 5 consecutive goals.

But Norway had more in store and easily pulled away to secure the match win as well as premature victory in the e-Boks Challenge.

Left wing Berit Hynne, who only plays in the second Norwegian league for Levanger, racked up 5 goals. Larvik's speedy youngster Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth scored 4 goals and looks to be an important new asset for coach Marit Breivik with Croatia on the horizon. Gro Hammerseng, who was been appointed captain instead of Else-Marthe Soerlie, also scored 4 times.

Denmark had a dismal showing in attack. Mette Vestergaard was extremely busy and hit 7 goals from her right back. But it took her a dozen shots and two penalties to reach that number.

Henriette Mikkelsen outshined Christina Roslyng on left wing and collected 4 goals, mostly from counter-attacking. Rikke Hoerlykke put in an even more modest performance than against Germany, but still got plenty of court time. Two goals from 9 shots says a few things about her effeciency, or lack thereof.

2,300 watched the match in Broendby-hallen.

# posted 22:18 |

October 24, 2003

Denmark Draw Germany, Norway Victorious
Denmark played to a 26-26 (13-15) draw with Germany on Friday evening in the first round of the e-Boks Challenge. Leipzig's Ingrida Radzeviciute scored 10 goals for the Germans.

Norway defeated Serbia-Montenegro 34-31 (16-16) in an earlier match. Katja Nyberg and Kristine Lunde both scored 6 goals for Norway, while Ljiljana Knezevic and Tanja Milanovic each registered 8 goals for Serbia.

# posted 22:49 |

Netherlands Beat Spain
The match between Romania and the Netherlands tomorrow will decide the Lucardi Cup. Both countries have won their first four matches. On Friday, the Netherlands defeated Spain 24-23, while Romania conquered Greece 32-23. Sweden gained their first win after beating Portugal 30-22.

# posted 22:46 |

October 23, 2003

Lucardi Cup Results
The Lucardi Cup is a Dutch tournament for six national teams which is currently being played in Rotterdam. The last of five rounds is played on Saturday.

Round 1 (Tuesday):
Netherlands - Portugal 28-20
Greece - Spain 18-32
Sweden - Romania 24-35

Round 2 (Wednesday):
Spain - Sweden 33-25
Portugal - Romania 21-29
Netherlands - Greece 22-14

Round 3 (Thursday):
Portugal - Greece 29-20
Romania - Spain 27-23
Netherlands - Sweden 34-30

Nothing unusal so far. But some remarkably clear losses for Sweden who look to be lightyears away from the 2001 World Championship level. Neither Sweden, nor the Netherlands are going to Croatia. With the victory over Spain, Romania look set to win the tournament. But the host nation might put up a strong challenge.

# posted 23:57 |

Daugaard a Sure Pick
Jan Pytlick will not make use of left wing Line Daugaard in the eBoks Challenge which begins Friday. He has already decided that the Ikast player will be part of the squad for the World Championship and doesn't need to see her in action.

Instead, Kolding's seasoned national player Christina Roslyng and Viborg's rising star Henriette Mikkelsen will fight for the remaining spot on left wing.

# posted 22:56 |

Soubak Won't Go Dutch
Morten Soubak, coach of FC Copenhagen Handball, has turned down a offer to become the head coach of the Dutch national team for women.

Soubak has previously worked with several players from the Netherlands during his tenure in charge of GOG-Gudme.

# posted 15:53 |

FTC vs. Györ Part II
As if the battle on the handball court wasn't enough, representatives of Ferencvaros and Györ have also involved themselves in a different kind of contest.

The Hungarian magazine CKM has dedicated itself to the noble cause of trying to find the most beautiful sports woman in the country and has therefore selected athletes from a wide variety of sports endeavours for this purpose.

Four handball players made the cut. Two from Fradi, Timea Toth and Nora Valovics, and two from Györ, Bernadett Bodi and Monika Kovacicova. The three latter are fairly untested in handball, but are surely getting experience from other pursuits.

Decide for yourself if you think they have a chance of winning: Page 1, page 2.

# posted 15:29 |

Prestige Win for Györ in Budapest
Györi ETO KC move to the top of the Hungarian table after defeating Ferencvaros 25-23 (10-11) in Budapest. Their lead may only be temporarily, though, as Dunaferr have a game in hand.

The tight match saw Györ leading a clear 18-13 in the middle of the second half before the home team came back to equalize to 19-19 through Slovakian international Lucia Uhrakova. Ferencvaros even gained the lead as the other Slovakian ace Katarina Mravikova took them to 21-20.

But Györ were the sharper team in the end. Led by the youngsters Anita Görbicz and Renata Mörtel they closed out the match to gain a prestigious win over the Champions League contestants.

Top scorers FTC: Erika Kirsner 6, Lucia Uhrakova 6 (3), Timea Tóth 5. Györ: Anita Görbicz 8 (1), Ana Dokic 5, Renata Mörtel 5.

# posted 15:13 |

October 22, 2003

Prokop Reflects
Hypo boss Gunnar Prokop had no reason to celebrate after the Champions League draw. The once inconquerable Hypo NÖ have failed to progress from the group stage three years in a row and now enter a difficult group where Slagelse and Kometal are favorites to move on.

"It's an incredible strong group. Slagelse are without a doubt the clear favorites. The remaining three teams must fight hard for the second place," Prokop said to Sport1.at before comparing Hypo to a "nimbus" - a metaphor for something that is hard to get rid of, like an aura.

"You have to beat us first."

The meeting with Kometal Skopje will be a special one. Gunnar Prokop was struck down by a fan during the Champions League final in 2000 in the Macedonian capital. But he has put that experience behind him.

"That is a long time ago. Things have calmed down now."

When Slagelse star Ausra Fridrikas left Hypo for Baekkelaget, there was plenty of controversy as well. But Prokop sees no reason to bring that up.

"It leaves me completely cold."

# posted 14:55 |

Andersen Satisfied, Dalmose Cautious
Without being overenthusiastic, Slagelse coach Anja Andersen didn't conceal her satisfaction with the Champions League draw.

"Of course, it won't be easy. But it looks okay, and our ambition is to advance from the group in first position," she said of the draw which paired the Danish champions with Kometal, Hypo and DIN-Classic. Two trips to Balkan and one to Austria await her team.

"We will face some tough tasks in the away matches. In Eastern Europe especially, there is a lot more atmosphere than what we are used to in Denmark. However, that only means that we look forward to the matches even more."

For some of Slagelse's foreign players, the matches should have special significance. Bojana Petrovic grew up in Nis before exchanging to Buducnost. Macedonian Valentina Tarculovska was of course a Kometal performer before landing in Hypo. Fridrikas' legendary ties to the Südstadt shouldn't need to be mentioned.

Perhaps Ikast didn't get the worst possibly draw, but they came close.

"We will face three strong home teams. But it's not an impossible task - as we have a good team ourselves," coach Christian Dalmose remarked after the draw was released. Ikast face Krim, Buducnost, and Motor Zaporozhye.

"I would have preferred Dunaferr, Trier or Montex. A trip to Spain wouldn't have been bad either. I primarily say that because we have two long trips to the Ukraine and Montenegro - in addition to the stiff opposition. Trips that last 5 to 6 hours. That can put a hard strain on my players," he explained.

The reigning Champions League victors of Krim Ljubljana beat Ikast twice in the semifinals in the spring.

"The Slovenians are the favourites to progress, and they are among the teams that most likely will reach the semifinals. They have lost a few players, but they are clearly the strongest team in the group. They play right to the edge, are well-organized, and highly aggressive. And they put all efforts into Champions League each season," Dalmose added.

He expects two close matches with Buducnost Monet - as in last season's Champions League quarterfinals - but hopes that his team can handle Motor Zaporozhye without too much difficulty.

# posted 14:29 |

October 21, 2003

EHF Cup, 3rd Round Draw
Vaag Vipers (NOR)- O.F.N. Ionias (GRE)
Slovan Duslo Sala (SVK) - Viborg HK (DEN)
Astrakhanochka Astrakhan (RUS) - MMKS "Piotrcovia" (POL)
E.S.B.F. Besancon (FRA) - ZRK Knjaz Milos (SCG)
McDonald's Wiener Neustadt (AUT) - CS Rapid CFR Bucuresti (ROM)
Randers HK (DEN) - Nordstrand 2000 (NOR)
GAS Anagennisi Artas (GRE) - Rostov-Don (RUS)
Eurostandard G.P. Skopje (MKD) - ZRK Zalec (SLO)
Napredak Krusevac (SCG) - Cercle Dijon Bourgogne (FRA)
Iuventa Michalovce (SVK) - Buxtehuder SV (GER)
BNTU Minsk Region (BLR) - Dinamo AKVA Volgograd (RUS)
HC Sonic - Osijek (CRO) - Zeeman Vastgoed SEW (NED)
GOG-Gudme (DEN) - Team Eslöv IK (SWE)
Oltchim Valcea (ROM) - Györi Graboplast ETO (HUN)
S.D. Itxako Estella (SPA) - RK Piran (SLO)
Podravka Vegeta, Koprivnica (CRO) - Bera Bera San Sebastian (SPA)

Cup Winners' Cup, 3rd Round Draw
Ferrobus Mislata (SPA) - CD Gil Eanes-Lagos (POR)
Union Korneuburg (AUT) - KSK Lutch Moscow (RUS)
Byaasen Handball Elite (NOR) - Vaci NK (HUN)
Spartak Kiev (UKR) - Üsküdar B. S. K. Istanbul (TUR)
C.S. Silcotub Zalau (ROM) - Frankfurter HC (GER)
ABU Baku (AZE) - Handball Metz Metropole (FRA)
Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO) - FCK Handball Copenhagen (DEN)
Handball Cercle Nimes (FRA) - Jugopetrol Radn. Beograd (SCG)

# posted 15:14 |

Champions League Groups
Group A
Dunaferr Sportegyesulet (HUN)
HC Lada Togliatti (RUS)
El Club Balonmano Mar Valencia El Osito L'Eliana(SPA)
DJK/MJC Trier (GER)

Group B
RK Krim Eta Malizia Ljubljana (SLO)
RK Buducnost Monet Podgorica (SCG)
Ikast/Bording Elite Haandbold (DEN)
HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR)

Group C
RK Kometal Gjorche Petrov Skopje (MKD)
Slagelse Forenede Haandboldklubber (DEN)
RK DIN-Classic Nis (SCG)
Hypo NÖ (AUT)

Group D
Club Balonmano Femenino ALSA - Elda Prestigio (SPA)
Larvik Haandballklubb (NOR)
Ferencvarosi Torna Club Budapest (HUN)
Miedzyszkolny Klub Sportowy Montex Lublin (POL)

# posted 12:33 |

October 20, 2003

Andersen and Larsen Skip e-Boks Challenge
Denmark's Kristine Andersen and Norway's Tonje Larsen are both sitting out the e-Boks Challenge in Farum the coming weekend because of injuries.

Ikast playmaker Andersen has struggled with a thigh problem since early October and need rest to recover. Larvik's Tonje Larsen is fighting a so-called jumper's knee, which is a painful inflammation of the patella ligament that often bothers track and field athletes as well as badminton and tennis players.

There are fears that Tonje Larsen may even miss the World Championship. Birgitte Saettem, also of Larvik, is definitively not going to Croatia because of a shoulder operation.

# posted 22:42 |

October 19, 2003

Lublin Saved in Last Seconds
Montex Lublin of Poland came awfully close to being eliminated by Eurostandard G.P. Skopje, but a goal just 3 seconds from buzzer time made it 25-26 in the second leg Sunday. This was enough to secure Lublin a Champions League berth as they had won the first encounter 25-23 on Saturday.

Both matches were played in Macedonia, but technically speaking Lublin had home advantage in the second match. This means that a 26-24 victory would have been enough for Eurostandard to upset the Polish champions with one more away goal.

Partenko, Skopje, and Wolska, Lublin, both registered 6 goals as the respective top scorer of their team.

# posted 22:23 |

Serbs Thump Volgograd to Reach Champions League
The Serbian side of RK DIN-Classic defeated AKVA Volgograd 27-20 (16-12) at home in Nis to go through to the Champions League 43-41 on aggregate.

The EHF web site claims that Ljiljana Knezevic scored 19 of those 27 goals. It would be nice to see a second source for this figure or read an eye witness report confirming it. If true, that is an astounding feat. Even for someone as accomplished as Knezevic - and even if a good deal of them must have been made from the 7m line.

Ilioukuina and Polenova are both listed with 6 goals for AKVA.

# posted 22:05 |

Aalborg Suffer Setback in Gudme
The ambitous club of Aalborg DH still only have two victories to show for the first seven matches in the Danish league. The team of such notable players as Farkas, Astrup, and Deriouguina lost a slim 34-35 (14-16) to GOG on Saturday.

After fighting themselves back from a 1-6 deficit in the beginning of the match, Aalborg wasted a 3 goal lead in the second half and once gain proved that their Achilles' heel is the defense. They especially had trouble containing GOG playmaker Rikke Hoerlykke and left wing Monique Feijen, both scoring 7 times.

Rikke Nielsen emphasized why she deserves a place in the Danish squad for next week's e-boks Challenge with 6 quality goals for Aalborg. Her teammate Beatrix Benyats, 5 goals, is looking more and more suitable as first choice on right back.

Agnes Farkas was instrumental from the 7m line, but only managed one regular goal in her 8-goal tally. She spent most of her energy trying to reach Deriouguina on the line.

GOG have already defeated Randers this season and are increasingly looking like a team to watch out for - even though the playoffs still seem like a far-fetched idea.

Leading scorers:
GOG-Gudme: Rikke Hoerlykke 7, Monique Feijen 7 (1), Krisztina Nagy 6, Tina Flognman 6.
Aalborg DH: Agnes Farkas 8 (7), Rikke Nielsen 6, Beatrix Benyats 5, Bettina Nielsen 4, Natalia Derioguina 4.

# posted 21:52 |

Semifinal Draw for Danish Cup
SK Aarhus defeated BK Ydun a surprisingly tight 28-24 at home to qualify for the final four of the Danish Cup as the last club.

SK Aarhus - Ikast/Bording EH
Randers HK - Viborg HK

The matches are played in mid-November.

# posted 21:29 |

Valencia Made It
CBM Mar Valencia withstood the pressure of Rapid Bucuresti in the return leg in Romania to book a place in the Champions League. Last year's runner-up lost 22-26 (11-15), but had a cushion of 8 goals from the first match.

Marta Mangue Gonzalez scored 8 goals for the Spaniards, while Cristina Mihai was once again the most productive shotmaker from Rapid with her 6 goals.

1,100 were in attendance, and they saw the home team cut Valencia's lead in half after the first 30 minutes. But Rapid failed to make further progress in the second half and now have to contend with the EHF Cup.

# posted 21:14 |

Copenhagen Player Retires
25-year-old wing Camilla Hoeg of FCK Handball has decided to put an immediate halt to her handball career because of insecurities about her physical health following a serious knee ligament injury.

Her main claim to fame was appearing as a pin-up in a Danish magazine.

# posted 14:39 |

Injury Hangover for Ikast
Despite reaching the Champions League, Ikast still have plenty of worries. As usual, it's injury worries. According to their web site, Sanja Jovovic broke a hand yesterday in the first half and may even miss the World Championship for Serbia - all depending on the severity of the fracture. Isabel Blanco, who had just returned after neck problems, reinjured herself.

If that wasn't enough, Paunica is out for the next couple of weeks as well after getting injured on Friday and missing the match in Croatia.

Match details:
Podravka Vegeta - Ikast/Bording 21-26 (9-10)
Podravka: Garijela Hobjila 4, Ionela Eilca 3, Renata Hodak 3.
Ikast: Josephine Touray 6, Kristine Andersen 5, Line Daugaard 4, Gro Hammerseng 4
Suspensions: Podravka 5, Ikast 6
Attendance: 1.600 in Koprivnica

# posted 14:30 |

Draw Pots for Group Stage
The draw to find the Champions League groups will be conducted by the EHF on Tuesday in Vienna.

Pot 1: Krim Ljubljana, Dunaferr SE, Kometal G.P. Skopje, Elda Prestigio
Pot 2: Buducnost Monet, Slagelse FH, Larvik HK, Lada Toljiatti

The two bottom pots will be composed of the 8 qualifiers. I suppose most teams would prefer to draw Elda Prestigio - the Spanish champions from the Alicante area - from pot 1. But I'm also certain that the 8 qualifiers will dread a potential group of death with Krim and Slagelse.

# posted 14:19 |

Hypo Triumph in Oslo
Hypo NÖ qualifed for the Champions League after getting a difficult 25-21 (12-14) win in Oslo against Nordstrand 2000. The victory sees the Austrians through with a total of 47-43.

Hypo closed a 4-goal gap to tie the match at 20-20 before shutting out the home team with a late charge. Sladana Dronic, Sonata Vijunaite, and Gabriela Rotis each scored 5 goals for the winners. Unni Nyhammer Hinkel and Anette H. Johansen hit 7 and 5 goals respectively for Nordstrand.

Keeper Heidi Tjugum was named best player for the young Oslo side who will now have to settle for the EHF Cup. According to Norwegian newspaper VG, Hypo boss Gunnar Prokop let out a relieved "Dank Gott!" burst after securing the victory.

"This was a learning experience for Nordstrand. I'm sure they thought they would win after the 22-22 result in Vienna. But they shouldn't be upset. The young Norwegian players will be very strong in a couple of seasons," Prokop was quoted as saying.

# posted 14:02 |

October 18, 2003

Austrians Serve a Big Mac to Cornexi
McDonald's Wiener Neustadt made it to the third round of the EHF Cup with a margin of just one goal after ousting Cornexi Alcoa of Hungary.

After winning 28-22 in the first meeting, the Austrians survived a 26-31 loss in the return leg to go through 54-53. Beatrix Prok, native Hungarian, helped seal the fate of the favourites from Cornexi Alcoa with her 8 goals for McDonald's. Anita Kulcsar scored 7 for the home team.

# posted 20:12 |

Ikast Beat Podravka Again
Ikast-Bording reserved a place in the Champions League after winning 26-21 against Podravka in the second match in Koprivnica. Josephine Touray, Ikast's top scorer, converted on 6 shots. Ikast gathered a commanding 70-53 advantage on aggregate.

# posted 20:00 |

Motor Zaporozhye Drive Past Besancon
The Ukranian champions of Motor Zaporozhye denied E.S.B.F Besancon a place in the Champions League after winning 27-21 (15-9) at home on Saturday to progress 50-48 on aggregrate.

They are joined by Ferencvaros who could afford to lose 25-30 (10-12) against GAS Anagennisi Artas in Greece because of a 14 goal lead from the first leg. Timea Toth scored 6 times for Ferencvaros, while Vracheva hit 9 for the Greeks.

# posted 19:50 |

Uninspired Slagelse Outfox Opponents
Danish champions Slagelse FH defeated bottom-side Fox Team Nord a modest 32-24 (18-9) in Antvorskovhallen to register the maximum sixth win of the season.

As the score reveals, Slagelse actually managed to lose the second half in front of their home crowd against one of the two weakest teams in the League.

This was the last match with Brian Lyngholm in charge. Anja Andersen returns next week after her 3-match ban that followed a scuffle with referee Henrik La Cour Bruun in the infamous Cup loss against Ikast.

Match Facts:
Slagelse: Bojana Petrovic 6 (1), Camilla Andersen 6 (2), Ausra Fridrikas 5 (2), Stephanie Cano 4, Mette Melgaard 3, Maria Hansen 2, Marie Hoepfner 2, Valentina Tarculovska 2, Kamilla Kristensen 1, Anja Freser 1.

Fox Team Nord: Hanna Larsson 5 (2), Anja Kristensen 4, Heidi Johansen 4, Lilian Thørholm 3, Malene Vejrum 2, Mette Nielsen 2, Teresa Utkovic 2, Ingrid Hrckova 1, Olga Hoffmann 1.

Suspensions: Slagelse 1 - Fox 4. Attendance: 1,175.

# posted 19:37 |

Copenhagen, Randers Move Forward
FC Copenhagen dismantled the modest resistance from Femina Vise of Belgium to collect a 42-12 (20-3) victory at home in the return leg.

Helle Wehl, Gitte W. Nielsen, and Marina Kevo each scored 6 goals for FCK who advance 80-31 on agg. in the Cup Winners' Cup.

Randers were less goal-hungry in their second encounter with Tutunski in the EHF Cup. They won 40-17 (17-11) which translates into 90-34 combined.

Leading scorers: Lisa Rasmussen 6, Steluna Luca 6, Tanja Milanovic 6 (2). Chao Zhai didn't see much action and only scored once again today.

# posted 19:32 |

Redesign by Accident
As you hopefully noticed, the blog looks a tad bit different than it used to. I lost some backup files for my old template (or rather, I didn't have any...) and didn't bother trying to recreate it, so I just went for a standard-like, completely css-controlled interface. It's not quite satisfactory yet, but I plan to optimize it continuously. The main change is the right sidebar navigation instead of the traditional left. I suppose this is more blog-like.

# posted 13:35 |

Blanco Ready, Paunica in Doubt
Ikast's line player Isabel Blanco has recovered from her neck injury and could be fielded against Podravka Saturday. On the other hand, Narcisa Paunica had a collision with Blanco in training and may be forced to sit this one out.

# posted 13:32 |

Nielsen Called Up
Aalborg DH's versatile Rikke Nielsen got a call-up from Jan Pytlick to the e-Boks Challenge next week. Anette Bonde (Kolding) and Lotte Kiaerskou (Viborg) are both injured.

Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Serbia-Montenegro clash in this 4-nation preparation tournament.

# posted 13:29 |

Randers Whitewash Tutunski
Randers HK had a soft begin to their EHF title quest when they rioted Tutunski Prilep of Macedonia to register a bombastic 50-17 (28-8) victory in the first of two meetings in Randers this weekend.

RK Tutunski: Biljena Risteska 7, Aleksandra Garalosha 5, Meri Gicva 2. Randers: Laura Danielsen 9, Tanja Milanovic 8 (4), Steluta Luca 7 (1).

P.S. A Cypriotic club lost 52-13 to ZRK Salec of Slovenia a week ago. Makes you wonder what they are doing in the 2nd round of the EHF Cup.

# posted 13:26 |

October 17, 2003

Hundvin Pregnant
It's actually fairly dated news, but it appears that I have failed to report this revelation. Aalborg DH's Norwegian wing, the charismatic Mia Hundvin might have played her last match on elite level.

Hundvin immediately put a halt to her handballing career in late September after getting pregnant. The father is Terje Haakonsen, a world-class snowboarder. She is due to pop the baby in April.

Aalborg DH took the news quite calmly and are not planning to buy a substitute for the ex-Slagelse and FIF player.

# posted 15:34 |

Fantastic Frankfurt
FHC Frankfurt/Oder and the superb Bianca Urbanke-Rösicke took a major step towards the German Bundesliga title when they edged major rivals HC Leipzig 32-31 (21-18) in front of more than 3,200 spectators in Leipzig.

Frankfurt stunned the home team by going 14-7 up in the first half, but Leipzig fought their way back to 27-27 in the second. However, 17-year-old Angie Geschke made it 32-30 for the Frankfurters before Jurack halved the deficit with a 7m throw a minute from full time. Leipzig had a chance to equalize, but that proved to be the last goal of the match.

Frankfurt have had a strong begin to the season, acquiring a perfect 12 points in the first 6 matches. After failing to rattle Frankfurt in their own arena, HC Leipzig are now trailing the team of Dietmar Rösicke with 3 points. Nuremberg are in second position with 10 points.

Leading scorers.
HC Leipzig: Grit Jurack 8 (1), Ingrida Radzeviciute 8, Else-Marthe Soerlie-Lybekk 7 (3), Milica Danilovic 4.
Frankfurt/Oder: Bianca Urbanke-Rösicke 11 (2), Lina Spalviene 6, Hortenzia Szrnka 6, Angie Geschke 5.

The imcomparable Bianca Urbanke, who was the architect of the German world championship in 1993 and the European silver a year later, recently turned 36. That doesn't stop her from being the current top scorer in the Bundesliga ahead of Grit Jurack, another terrific lefty. No country can field a stronger duo on right back, but unfortunately Urbanke-Rösicke's days on the national team are over.

The 187cm tall Hungarian prodigy Hortenzia Szrnka (Frankurt has apparently dropped the 'z' from her last name to ease the spelling) has had a good begin to her stay in FHC Frankfurt after she came to the club from Dunaferr. She has scored 30 goals from her left back position and might prove a valuable asset in Frankfurt's Bundesliga bid.

# posted 15:06 |

October 16, 2003

Danish League Standing

Pos		M	W	D	L	Goals	GD	Pts
1	Slagelse FH	5	5	0	0	167-127	+40	10
2	Viborg HK	7	5	0	2	205-166	+39	10
3	Ikast/Bording	6	4	1	1	151-140	+11	9
4	Randers HK	7	4	0	3	200-181	+19	8
5	KIF Kolding	5	4	0	1	126-123	+3	8
6	FCK Handball	6	3	0	3	143-143	0	6
7	Horsens HK	6	3	0	3	150-162	-12	6
8	Aalborg DH	6	2	1	3	174-185	-11	5
9	SK Aarhus	6	2	0	4	133-144	-11	4
10	GOG Gudme	5	1	1	3	124-136	-12	3
11	Soenderjyske HK	6	0	1	5	139-181	-42	1
12	Fox Team Nord	5	0	0	5	108-132	-24	0

# posted 20:56 |

Site Changes
The fans of Kometal Gjorche Petrov have relaunched their site and changed the address. New site: www.kometalfans.com

Quite an improvement - and surely some new features that are going to raise a few eyebrows. Check out the "White" and "Black" lists for instance.

Meanwhile, Ikast/Bording's web pages have underwent a few changes as well: www.ikasthandball.dk

# posted 14:24 |

Copenhagen Pounce Horsens, Viborg End Kolding Streak
After a gloomy begin to the season, FC Copenhagen won their third consecutive League victory after beating Horsens HK 26-19 (16-9) at home.

However, the win is not cut and dry yet. Horsens have protested the disqualification of one of their players, stating that she did not receive three 2-minute penalties before the red card. The Danish Handball Federation will review the appeal.

FC Copenhagen: Mette Vestergaard 10 (5), Eszter Siti 5, Gitte W. Nielsen 3. Horsens: Christina Kristensen 5, Åsa Eriksson 5, Jane Wangsoe 3.

FC Copenhagen also had a successful begin to their European campaign as they thrashed Belgian side Femina Vise in the Cup Winners' Cup over the weekend.

KIF Kolding's 4-match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end as they were dropped 25-32 (12-16) at home against Viborg HK.

Keeper duo Valerie Nicolas and Louise Bager made things difficult for the Kolding offense, and in the other end Rikke Skov took over in the absence of Lotte Kiaerskou who was out with injury. Viborg move to second in the table, square on points with Slagelse but with two extra matches played.

Kolding: Louise Petersen 6, Anette Olesen 5, Anette Bonde 4. Viborg: Rikke Skov 7, Olga Assink 7, Helga Nemeth 5.

# posted 14:21 |

October 13, 2003

Ferencvaros Practically Qualified
Ferencvaros left little doubt that they are headed for the Champions League as they rampaged Anagennisi Artas of Greece 38-24 (18-11) to make the return match a mere formality.

FTC's leading scorers: Viktoria Kocsik 10 (3), Katarina Mravikova 8, Timea Toth 7, Erika Kirsner 6. Toth is apparently doing well with her broken nose.

Eurostandard Skopje and Montex Lublin are the only two teams in qualification round 2 who are yet to see action. They meet twice in the Macedonian capital over the weekend.

# posted 23:46 |

October 12, 2003

Valencia Strolling, Besancon Challenged
Last year's finalists El Osito L'Eliana Valencia gained the upper hand ahead of the return match in Romania after winning 32-24 (12-11) against Rapid Bucharest. Veteran pivot Cristina Gomez scored 8 goals for the home team, and Mihai made 10 for the visitors.

E.S.B.F. Besancon, who grabbed a European title last season, led 13-7 at half time against Motor Zaporozhye, but had to settle for a relatively modest 27-23 victory in the end.

A tough visit to the Ukraine awaits the French team who had the backing of almost 3,000 supporters at home.

AKVA Volgograd had even more supporters behind them. But despite 14 goals from Polenova, the 4,000 Russians only witnessed a 21-16 (8-8) win over RK Din-Classic from Nis. Return match in Serbia/Montenegro on Sunday.

Legendary veteran Knezevic helped keep this duel open with her 7 goals.

# posted 22:57 |

Trier Already Through, Hypo in Danger
Despite playing both matches in Slovenia, DJK/MJC Trier eased into the Champions League after two comfortable wins over RK Piran.

Trier beat the home team in Portoroz 31-26 in the first match on Saturday and 37-30 in the second on Sunday. Mosgovaya scored 16 goals for the German champions combined over the two tests.

Hypo NÖ have to worry about their fate after only managing a 22-22 (12-10) draw with Nordstrand from Oslo. Vesna Horacek scored 7 for the Austrians, while Randi Gustad put in 6 for the Norwegians.

# posted 22:41 |

Ikast-Podravka: 44-32
In a goal-crazed show Ikast/Bording EH defeated Podravka Vegeta 44-32 (24-17) and gained a highly advantageous position ahead of the return match in Koprivnica next weekend.

The Croatian champions used a quick-attacking style much akin to Lemgo in the German Bundesliga for men, but it didn't take long for the Ikast defense to get used to this tactic.

Kristine Andersen (6) was back in the Ikast side after a minor injury hassle and proved an effective playmaker as she fed the backs Paunica (9) and Jovovic (7) with quality balls, while keeping a good eye on Tonje Kjaergaard (7) on the line.

Podravka had few defensive responses to the relentless attacks of Ikast, and only Budimir (10) and Culjak (6) occasionally troubled the Ikast defense in this lively encounter.

This gave Touray (7) and Daugaard (5) ample opportunity to counter-attack. 76 might sound like an awful lot of goals, but Podravka's extremely fast playing style sped things up and increased the number of attacks substantially - compared to a more normal match.

The winner will enter the Champions League.

# posted 18:22 |

Magic Myaro Rocks Randers
French international Nodijalem Myaro steered KIF Kolding to a stunning 28-27 (12-13) victory in Randers.

2,204 were in attendance in Randers-hallen as undefeated Kolding racked up their fourth win in as many attempts.

Randers: Chao Zhai 8 (6), Steluta Luca 5, Tatiana Silitch 4. Kolding: Nodjialem Myrao 8, Louise Pedersen 6 (2), Lene Thomsen 5.

SK Aarhus finally had something to cheer about as they upended struggling GOG-Gudme 30-22 (13-13) to collect the second win of the season. Only 368 spectators bothered showing up for this one.

SK Aarhus: Stine Qwist 8, Camilla Transel 6, Julie Transel 4, Marianne Rokne 4 (3). GOG: Ragnhild Aamodt 5, Rikke Hoerlykke 5 (1), Monique Feijen 3, Tina Flognmann 3, Krisztina Nagy 3 (1).

Viborg HK easily discarded Soenderjyske HK 38-22 (20-10). Viborg: Broedsgaard 8, Skov 7, Mikkelsen 6. Soenderjyske: Lene Lunde 4, Susan Andersen 4 (1), Krisztina Hajdu 4 (2). 1,351 looked on in Viborg.

On Saturday, Horsens HK saw off a late surge from Aalborg DH and ran out a 34-32 (18-13) winner, enhancing their standing in the League even further and showcasing the defensive vulnerabilities of the Aalborg side.

Eriksson was the immaculate player on court.

Horsens: Åsa Eriksson 9, Tine Ladefoged 6, Jane Wangsoe 5, Mette Sjoeberg 5. Aalborg: Natalia Derioguina 6, Agnes Farkas 5, Heidi Astrup 5, Beatrix Benyats 4, Louise Mortensen 4.

# posted 18:20 |

October 9, 2003

No Croatia For Tuven
Janne Tuven, experienced Norwegian national player, will miss the World Championship in Croatia because of a shoulder operation. The 27-year-old Stabeak wing realizes that the injury may also signal the end of her career.

# posted 16:11 |

A Surprise from Tertnes
Jan Pytlick has announced the Danish squad for the e-Boks Challenge in late October and it surprisingly includes the left-handed Tertnes player Anne Petersen.

She was handed a spot in the B-squad for the match against Slovenia and apparently convinced the Danish coach that she could potentially be used as back-up for Mette Vestergaard in the right side.

The 20-strong Danish team will later be cut down to 16 for Croatia.

# posted 16:09 |

Dunaferr Deny Ferencvaros
In a collision between two of the strongest rivals in Hungary, Dunaferr SE defeated Ferenvaros 20-18 (13-10) at home and gained a lead at the top of the Hungarian league with 7 wins in 8 tries. However, Gyõr, who beat the Hungarian champions at the beginning of the season, are only two points adrift and still have a game in hand.

Dunaferr: Ferling 6 (2), Bulath 4, Nagy 3 (2). FTC: Uhrakova 5 (1), Mravikova 4, Kocsik 3 (1).

# posted 16:01 |

Crucial Randers Win
Randers HK took care of one of their main rivals for a playoff berth as they gained two points on Wednesday evening by through a 33-29 (20-14) away win over Aalborg DH.

The 3,300 members of the audience were enthralled as Aalborg pulled back to level the match at 24-24. But the home team soon ran out of steam, allowing Randers to shut out the proceeding.

Leading scorers of Randers: Chao Zhai 10 (4), Kathrine Munck 8, Lene Tønnesen 4, Steluta Luca 4. Aalborg DH: Natalia Deriouguina 7, Heidi Astrup 7 (1), Rikke Nielsen 6.

# posted 00:35 |

Slagelse Revenge Defeat
Slagelse took over at the top of the League after defeating Ikast/Bording 30-28 (17-17) at home in Antvorskovhallen, thereby gaining sweet revenge for the Cup loss last week against their top rivals.

With Valentina Tarculovska (9 goals) as a merciless counter-attacker, Slagelse looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory as they lead 12-6 in the first half. Despite the absence of commander Kristine Andersen, who was out with a minor thigh injury, Ikast held tight to square things up at the interval.

But as they were hit with several 2 min. suspensions at the beginning of the second, Slagelse again regained control. However, Narcisa Paunica (8/2) kept charging ahead and Ikast found themselves in a position to level the match at the end. But a missed penalty cost them dearly, and Slagelse closed out through a 7m throw from Camilla Andersen (7/5).

FCK Handball captured the second consecutive win as they punished Fox Team Nord 25-21 (12-9) away in Frederikshavn.

FCK's leading scorers: Lene Tobiasen 6, Mette Vestergaard 5/3, and Camilla Thomsen 4. Fox Team Nord: Ingrid Hrckova 6, Anja Kristensen (5/1), Teresa Utkovic 4.

# posted 00:28 |

October 8, 2003

Tough Ikast Test Ahead of Podravka
Ikast/Bording tore apart Slagelse last Wednesday evening in the Danish Cup. Exactly one week later, the two foes meet again in the League. Slagelse FH has home advantage again and will be looking to avenge to embarrassing defeat which cost Anja Andersen a red card and a 3-match ban.

This is a tremendously important match for both teams as it can greatly impact the battle to win the regular season and get a place in the Champions League if things fail in the play-offs for the Danish championship. But Ikast have a major challenge waiting just a few days later when they meet Podravka Vegeta in qualification for the Champions League.

# posted 13:31 |

World Championship Site
The web site of the World Championship in Croatia has been launched a while ago. Interesting content is being added all the time. Some countries have already submitted initial information on their national teams. Definitely worth bookmarking.

# posted 13:20 |