EHF Champions League
Metz win thanks to Burgaard's last-gasp goal
It was a back-and-forth game in Ljubljana, with the rivals exchanging the lead many times, yet the goal scored by Louise Burgaard four seconds from the buzzer handed Metz Handball a 29:28 win against Krim Mercator Ljubljana.
GROUP B
Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) vs Metz Handball (FRA) 28:29 (17:15)
- a string of Hatadou Sako's early saves propelled Metz to a 7:6 lead ten minutes into the game
- however, then Krim's goalkeeper Barbara Arenhart managed to score three goals in three minutes, helping her team to turn the tide
- the score was level nine times during the second half before Burgaard scored the winner
- Metz maintained their perfect record in the competition, as they now have three wins and a game in hand; Krim stay on two points and are sixth-placed in the group
- Krim's Oceane Sercien Ugolin collapsed at the end of the game, with both teams quickly forming a circle around her as she was looked after
French players shine on both sides
2020 Olympic champions from France became the leading scorers of both teams, as Meline Nocandy netted eight goals for Metz, and Allison Pineau scored seven times for Krim.
Another French player, Metz's goalkeeper Hatadou Sako, also stood out with her performance, as she recorded 14 saves for a 35 per cent save rate.
It was a really tough match, Krim did a really good job. They did not get the point in the first three matches. They were supposed to, so we know that they will fight very hard today. Maybe we did not deserve to win till the end, but two points are two points and I am just really happy about it.
In the second half we did not play as well as in the first half. In the second half the match was equal, we had advantage and also we had a chance to score and lead for two goals but it did not happen at the end. In the end we missed a penalty and some other good shots (fast breaks), Metz used that and in the end they took two points.
