In the 10th round of the DELO EHF Champions League, Győri Audi ETO KC hosted Metz at the Audi Arena Győr. Our team, which had to play with several absentees, started the game well and built a confident seven-goal lead in the first half. In the second half the good play continued and we won to 39 - 30.
It was not an easy situation for our team, as several of our players had to miss the game. Head coach Ambros Martín started the match with the six of Fodor, Ryu, Oftedal, Brattset, Kristiansen, Schatzl and Glauser in goal. We started with a 2-0 lead thanks to Fodor and in the 8th minute we had a four goal lead (6-2), at which point the visiting head coach called his first time-out of the match. The time-out did not stop the momentum of our team and after 15 minutes we led by seven goals, 11 - 4. By the last ten minutes of the half, Győr was leading to14 - 7. The first period ended with a French goal but with a seven-goal Győr lead.
In the second half, Silje Solberg replaced Glauser in goal, who just like her teammate, helped her team with great saves. With Kristiansen in the lead, we kept our confident advantage and in the 48th minute the scoreboard showed 29 - 20. The teams went into the last ten minutes with Győr leading to 31 - 23. In the 54th minute, Nadine Schatzl scored a goal and the difference between the two teams increased to ten (35 - 25). In the last minutes of the match, the youngsters of the frame were also given a chance to play, and Fanni Gerencsér successfully converted the situation that came her way. The final score of 39 - 30 was set by Crina Pintea.
Ambros Martín: "I don't know what to think or say. I think we need to look again at how the team works in handball because what we saw today was fantastic. Nobody knows what we've been through in the last few days. This is the TEAM. We know from the past that we can play under heavy pressure. Everyone contributed and the extra performance was able to make up for the absences. I thank my players for giving me back a feeling I haven't had in a long time. Of course we can't stop now, we have another CL match on Wednesday."
Veronica Kristiansen: "As a player I can say we were nervous before the game, because we knew we had absentees and a great Metz was coming to Győr. The team showed such unity in the dressing room, we kept saying we were going to do it. I would also like to thank the fans, as we could feel the atmosphere before the game, which helped us. I am proud of the team."
