A flawless first half from Györi Audi ETO KC, which saw them lead by as many as eight goals, helped the Hungarian powerhouse seal a 35:23 win against Brest Bretagne Handball in the second leg of the EHF Champions League Women quarter-finals.
The French champions, who were runners-up last season, are eliminated, while Györ once again head to the EHF FINAL4 Women in Budapest after an electrifying quarter-final.
QUARTER-FINAL, SECOND LEG
MOTW: Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) 35:22 (20:12)
First leg: 21:21. Györi Audi ETO KC won 56:44 on aggregate
- an early 5:1 run for the hosts, spurred by centre back Stine Bredal Oftedal, who scored three times, paved the way for Györ's second win in the last seven games against Brest
- French goalkeeper Amandine Leynaud had an outstanding first half, stopping nine shots, for a 47 per cent save efficiency
- the Hungarian side extended their unbeaten streak on home court in Europe's premier competition to 43 games, with 39 wins and four draws – two of which were against Brest
- Brest were stopped in their tracks, with their usually free-flowing attack providing a meagre 45 per cent attack efficiency
- this was Györ’s biggest win against Brest in their history – three goals more than the 26:17 win recorded in October 2017
- Györ qualified for the seventh time in eight editions of the EHF FINAL4 Women, having won the title four times
- after scoring nine goals from 11 shots, Stine Oftedal was named as the Player of the Match
Györ pass the test with flying colours
Title credentials are tested in the most difficult of circumstances, and Györ mastered the task with flying colours in the Match of the Week.
Their backs were against the wall after a hard-fought draw in the first leg, where Brest led by three goals at half-time. But after a slow start on Saturday, Györ proved why they are the favourites to win the trophy, displaying an ironclad defence and a skilful attack.
Having avenged their semi-final loss from last season, Györ will be definitely the team to avoid come the EHF FINAL4 draw, as they look to peak exactly at the right time.
This week was really hard, but I would like to say congratulations to Brest. My team played really well today. We scored almost as many goals in the first half as the whole game in the first match. The atmosphere was really good, so it helped a lot for us. Our opponent was really aggressive today, but thank you everybody for the support.
