Brest Bretagne Handball made the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Women for the second consecutive season after taking a 29:26 win against Odense Håndbold in the second leg of the play-offs on Sunday afternoon in France.
Brest's win overturned their one-goal loss from last Sunday and prevented Odense from earning their second quarter-final berth in the EHF Champions League.
PLAY-OFF, SECOND LEG
MOTW: Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN) 29:26 (14:14)
First leg: 24:25. Brest Bretagne Handball won 53:51 on aggregate
- in the last 17 minutes, line player Pauletta Foppa and new signing Jenny Karlsson scored two goals each and right wing Alicia Toublanc netted three times to enable Brest to seal the win
- Odense led in the first half but faltered in the second half, despite Brest's defence not being overwhelming, with goalkeepers Cléopâtre Darleux and Sandra Toft saving only eight shots between them
- the French champions won their seventh game from eight played in their arena in the EHF Champions League Women this season
- in top form in the second part of the season, instrumental Norwegian centre back Helene Fauske was Brest's top scorer, with six goals
- to progress to their second EHF FINAL4 in a row, Brest Bretagne Handball must trump one of the big favourites of the competition – Györi Audi ETO KC – in the quarter-finals
Brest's experience plays a crucial role
It was definitely a tense Match of the Week in Brest, as the home side faced an all-or-nothing clash against Odense. While the Danish side remain impressive in their domestic league, they still lack the poise and experience to progress to the business end of Europe's premier competition.
The superior experience was there to be seen for Brest, who will now face Györ in a rematch of their semi-final from last season. Facing the in-form team of the competition in the quarter-finals will be a huge test for Brest as they seek another shot at the title.
We didn't play well in the first leg – we wanted to do better today. We were able to settle the seven against six. Even if it was not perfect, we conceded fewer goals this way. What also changed from last week is that we were able to play faster and have more rhythm.
