After their defeat in Rostov-Don at the opening of the Champions League season, the players from Brest corrected their shot on their floor on the occasion of the reception of Esbjerg (26-23).
In front of its public, Brest did not fail. A week after a failed start to the European season on the Rostov-Don floor, Pablo Morel’s players confirmed that it was just a bad memory. For their first continental match of the season at the Brest Arena, the Bretons got the best of Esbjerg. Under the impetus of Alicia Toublanc (4 goals on 4 shots) and Pauletta Foppa (2 goals on 3 shots), the BBH took the lead but, after having started the match well, the Brest defense left something to be desired. . During the first thirteen minutes, the two teams surrendered blow for blow. It was then that Sandra Toft warmed up. Faced with her compatriots, the Danish goalkeeper multiplied the interventions (15 stops at 41% efficiency) to the point of leaving only a seven-meter throw to Cleopatra Darleux during the entire match. A newfound defensive efficiency of which Monika Kobylinska (3 goals on 8 shots), Helene Gigstad Fauske (2 goals on 4 shots), Coralie Lassource (4 goals on 5 shots) and Constance Mauny (3 goals on 3 shots) took advantage to offer four steps ahead at BBH seven minutes from the break.
Brest did not let Esbjerg believe it
Despite a sluggish end of the first period in attack, the Bretons left the floor with the same gap. In the locker room, Jesper Jensen remobilized his players who played a completely different score at the start of the second period. Thanks in particular to Mette Tranborg (4 goals on 7 shots) and Henny Reistad (6 goals on 12 shots), Esbjerg signed a 4-1 to return to a single length five minutes after the resumption of play. The Brest response was immediate . Sandra Toft has become a wall again and the Breton attack has regained momentum. The result was a 5-0 in seven minutes and a seven-goal lead thirteen minutes from the buzzer. Back to the wall, Sanna Solberg-Isaksen’s teammates (4 goals on 7 shots) raised the tone and sent a shiver down the backs of BBH supporters when, with one minute still to play, Esbjerg came back to two lengths. Fortunately, Kalidiatou Niakaté (4 goals on 5 shots) ended the suspense for a three-goal success for Brest (26-23). A first victory at the continental level which will allow Pablo Morel’s proteges to continue to build up confidence despite the long-term absence of Djurdjina Jaukovic.
HANDBALL – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (F) / GROUP A
2nd day
Saturday, September 18, 2021
CSM Bucharest – Rostov-Don : 27-30
Ferencvaros – Podravka Vegeta: 33-27
Brest – Esbjerg: 26-23
Sunday September 19, 221
16h00 : Buducnost Podgorica – Borussia Dortmund
Group A classification
1- Rostov-Don 4 points
2- Ferencvaros 3
3- Podravka Vegeta 2
4- Brest 2
5- Esbjerg 2
6- Borussia Dortmund 1
7- CSM Bucharest 0
8- Buducnost Podgorica 0
The first two qualify directly for the quarter-finals. The teams classified from 3rd to 6th place qualify for the round of 16.
