FTC vs Brest — Breaking down MOTW with Andrea Lekic

The dust has barely settled after last weekend's fiery first leg played in France, where Brest Bretagne Handball claimed a 34:31 win, a result built on tempo and control, and the individual brilliance of Anna Vyakhireva. Now, the return leg takes place in Budapest.

Former Serbian international, FTC centre back, and the EHF Champions League’s third-best scorer with 1,073 goals, Andrea Lekic, known for her tactical insight and feel for the game, broke down what truly decided the first clash and what both clubs will have to adjust before the weekend.

Brest led through Vyakhireva's vision, FTC looked for pace and balance

Everything Brest do starts and ends with Anna Vyakhireva. The star player had been involved in almost every goal Brest produced, whether it's her one-on-one duels, two-on-two actions and play with the line player, or the perfect timing when she releases the ball. With that, Lekic agrees — Anna Vyakhireva was the MVP of round 7.

“She has such a great sense for the exact moment to attack or to pass. Sometimes she disappears for four or five minutes, then suddenly, right at the end, she takes control again, as if she just decided, alright, now we win.

“Brest attacked a lot and kept forcing that play with the line player, with Onacia Ondono. She also had a phenomenal match, really a great game both in defence and attack,” says Lekic.

The intensity of the match was high at the beginning with both teams trying to impose their rhythm. In those first 15 minutes, it was Brest who looked sharper and gained the first significant lead.

“What I like about Brest is they punished FTC's retreat extremely fast and tried to solve attacks quickly in several situations. They had a lot of good second-wave moments, and their ball transfer in certain situations was at a truly high level. So from that side, even though those are not backcourt players alongside Anna with a lot of experience, it all looked quite synchronised,” explains Lekic.

Apart from the backcourt line and their work with the line player, Brest also had options on the wing.

“The left wing, Kiara Tshimanga, had a great match — very dominant one-on-one and with excellent shooting abilities,” adds Lekic.

FTC approached the game differently. Their best spells came from tempo — fast centre throws and quick transitions with recognisable play from left to right. Still, FTC struggled in moments, not using the full potential of backcourt shooters, left wing didn't have much chances, while the right side had lower than usual shooting percentage. But how did Lekic see FTC's attack?

“FTC had that attempt at fast play and fast centre in the first 15 minutes, and what we saw from FTC is that they play two to three actions, including that play with the pivot that Brest also do. And what's interesting, they strongly forced the two-on-two game on the left back side.

“A few times that was successful and I think that was quite clear. I think that was their idea, and that's where FTC practically insisted. I think there was also that good connection when Dragana Cvijic came on during the second half, she even received four or five balls and scored. And it was in a way smart. And I think they will probably stick to it in the second game,” Lekic says.

Defence decided the match

While eyes often fall on who scores the most, defence is what usually decides games. The first leg was no different — it was the defensive work that ultimately shaped the outcome. Both sides played a classic 6–0 formation, but Brest's aggressive and compact defence delivered when it mattered most, especially the third defenders, Pauletta Foppa and Onacia Ondono.

“Brest realised what's their weakness in the second half, they are having a lot of trouble with the line player, and in certain moments three players were following FTC's line player. They also had very aggressive half defenders who made many, many fouls and stopped the flow of the opponent's attack. While in the last ten minutes of the game they closed off FTC's two-on-two actions.

“I definitely think that is somewhere the reason why FTC ended up losing, there wasn't, let's say, a long enough attack that would simply prevent such a number of fouls. Because when we look at it statistically, Brest made a very large number of interruptions. And that is something they were very successful with,” says Lekic.

FTC, at the moments, struggled to find the same defensive connection, but they never stopped pushing. They were close throughout the entire match.

“We don't often get to see Bordas Réka and Emily Vogel as the central defensive pair for FTC. We have a new coach and a new vision — we don't know what his strategy is — but that is not a common combination. And from that side, I think the main emphasis will be on stopping Anna, but not her goals, because the bigger problem is her assists.”

The defence also impacts the goalkeeper performance and Brest had very good outing from their two shot-stoppers. Camille Depuiset and Floriane Andre had 14 saves between them, with 33.3 per cent and 30.8 per cent save efficiency, respectively. On the other end, Kinga Janurik stopped six, as FTC missed Laura Glauser, with only 18-year-old Diana Szilágyi as the backup.

“It was also a good move to rotate Brest's goalkeepers at certain moments, because Camille Depuiset, when she came in, saved two or three decisive balls. That may have been a turning point, and somehow Brest entered the last five to seven minutes of the match confident, constantly leading by two or three.

“FTC could have used a bit more stability between the posts in those tougher moments, as Kinga Janurik had to handle the entire game on her own and carried the load in the second half,” Lekic continues.

Who will finish stronger?

For Brest, there is no question who runs the show — Anna Vyakhireva remains the heartbeat and the one to stop.

“Anna Vyakhireva is so unpredictable. I would take the risk, at the moment when you cannot stop her, to play a marking on her,” says Lekic.

On the other side, FTC will once again rely on Katrin Klujber and Emily Vogel, their most consistent scorers so far.

“So far they have been scoring and creating the most. And if Kinga Janurik finds her form, she can be the key in the return leg,” adds Lekic.

As the story shifts from individual performances to adjustments and preparation for the Match of the Week, one thing remains: FTC must find new weapons to turn this around and Lekic believes they have some.

“What FTC were missing a bit more in this match was outside shooting. Brest don't have that, but when we talk about FTC, they do have outside shooters, and that's definitely the space they should use more. I believe FTC will have to raise their level, but on their home court I think it will look different, with a packed venue and strong support,” explains Lekic.

Therefore, Lekic knows what's at stake — not only against a strong opponent, but at the very end of the first part of the season, just before the winter break, and a packed home arena waiting for a response

“We all know it's very important that matches at this part of the season end with a win,” Lekic concludes. “Psychologically, that's very important. At least for me it always was, when you leave for the national team, when this part of the season ends, you try to finish with a win. It's a different feeling to go home with two points.”

photos © BBH — Olivier Stephan