DUNAFERRMAGIC IN VIBORG!

The quarterfinal of the ChampionsLeague brought a showdown between the Danish and Hungarian champions. Thisclash was widely regarded as a kind of an early final since both sides wouldhave been realistic contenders for the cup, but one of them had to leave thetournament rather prematurely.

The two teams were marred byinjuries and illnesses, Dunaferr’s standard wings, Lovász and Nagy were stillmissing, while Viborg’s Nörgaard and Kiaerskou undertook the task of stepping outonto the court despite the fact that they had been down with flu throughout theweek. Besides, Fruelund had not fully recovered from her injury, either. 

The home side were the favouritesof the game, as they had only been defeated by one goal in Hungary. However,the visitors took the lead by Ferling’s goal and managed to keep a narrow gapat the beginning, and they even took the lead in the 14th minute (7-8). Viborgsoon turned the tide, though: led by the prolific and agile pivot, Olga Assink,the Danish champions produced a 4-0 run until the 19th minute (11-8). Keepingthe momentum, they hit the back of the net three times, and Dunaferr could onlyrespond with one goal (22nd minute: 14-9). The visitors were having a hard time;they could not stop the fast and flawless Danish attacks. Skov hit the goalposttwice in a row however, while young Bulath did not make a mistake and set thehalftime score of 16-13.

The second half brought the battleof two equals; neither team could open a lead of three goals. Showing one ofthe finest performances of her life, the former Viborg player Németh showed herworth once more. Olympic champions Fruelund and Skov stood their ground on thehome side, scoring fine goals from the backcourt, and justified their excellentreputation. However, no one expected Anita Bulath or 19-year-old MelindaVincze, who had had very little international experience, to show such a braveand efficient game as a seasoned veteran could. The final score was 27-26 forthe home side, the exact copy of the result in the first leg. Therefore, thefate of the duel was decided in a dramatic penalty shootout. Dunaferr made nomistake and utilised all the five opportunities, while Kiaerskou missed herchance by hitting the post in the second round, which meant that the Hungarianchampions advanced to the semifinals by 58-56 on aggregate.

Text: Sándor Joó

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