After shocking Sola HK in the first leg of the EHF European League Women quarter-finals, CS Minaur Baia Mare produced an impressive comeback in the second half of the second leg, which finished 29:29, to qualify for the EHF Finals Women for the second consecutive season.
QUARTER-FINAL, SECOND LEG
Sola HK (NOR) vs CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU) 29:29 (16:10)
First leg: 32:40. CS Minaur Baia Mare won 69:61 on aggregate
- Baia Mare enjoyed a good start, but an 8:2 run for Sola turned the game on its head and enabled the hosts to take a six-goal lead at the break
- a 7:1 run to start the second half, powered by four goals from Ukrainian line player Yaroslava Burlachenko, helped the Romanian side back into the game
- despite losing only one game from eight played in the group phase and quarter-finals, Sola lost their chance to play for the title
- the Romanian side became the team with the fewest points in the group phase – five – to qualify for the business end of the competition in its two seasons
- Minaur join Herning-Ikast Handbold as the two sides who will return to the EHF Finals Women from the 2021 edition in Baia Mare
Amazing spirit lifts Baia Mare past Sola
Playing during “the worst moments of her life”, as she put it herself, Minaur's Ukrainian captain, Yaroslava Burlachenko, led through example in the opening minutes of the second half, when she singlehandedly dismantled Sola's defence.
Her spirit embodied Baia Mare – a plucky side who have bounced back admirably to clinch a spot in the EHF Finals Women after picking up only five points in the group phase.
