For the first time in the history of Romanias participation in the Champions League, two Romanian womens handball sides have made it past the group stage. The two teams are Rapid Bucharest, Romanias en-titre champions and and the runner-up CSM, which also comes first in this years edition of the National League.
Rapid came 4th in Group B and go into the play-offs for the quarterfinals Their mission was difficult in a group eventually won by French side Metz. Hungarian side Gyor, the multiple winner of the aforementioned competition, came second while Danish side Esbjerg, third. The fifth-ranked Buducnost of Montenegro and Storhamar of Norway, which ranked sixth, have also joined the play-offs besides Rapid and Esbjerg.
For a place among the eight best sides of the continent Rapid will be up against Slovenian side Krim Ljubljana. The first game will take place on Sunday in Slovenia and the return game a week later in Bucharest. The winner of this double match will be playing in the quarters the Norwegian side Vipers Kristiansand, winner of the last years edition of the Champions League.
CSM Bucharest came second in Group A and will go straight into the quarters. Cristina Neagu and her team mates have been outperformed only by Vipers Kristiansand, and only in the last leg when they lost their away match in Ljubljana
The other sides, which join the play-offs are Odense of Denmark, Ferencvaros of Hungary, Krim and Brest Bretagne of France.
CSM will be up against the winners of the match pitching Esbjerg against Brest Bretagne. The fight for a place in Final Four will see its first round in the last weekend in April and the second in the first weekend in May.
(bill)
