Beaten by three goals in the Champions League play-offs by Esbjerg, Brest lost three goals also on the return leg and therefore said goodbye to Europe.
Brest and Europe, it’s over for this season! Narrowly qualified for the play-offs, the Bretons will not see the quarter-finals, after their double defeat against Esbjerg. Beaten 25-28 at home in the play-off, BBH lost 27-24 in Denmark and were therefore eliminated. After their defeat last week, it took a small miracle for the Brestoises to qualify, and it didn’t happen. They have also never been virtually qualified, since they have never led by more than one goal. Brest indeed led 3-4 in the 12th minute and 4-5 in the 13th, and that’s it. Esbjerg waited until the 24th minute to take a more than two-goal lead in this match (10-8) and finally reached half-time leading 14-12.
Esbjerg did not shake
In the second period, the Danes took the lead a little more, counting three, four or five goals ahead until the 49th minute of play. Brest then returned to -2 (23-21), but that didn’t last long. Esbjerg regained his ease in money-time, against a BBH who no longer believed in it, and finally won by three goals. “We did not play as a team today”, regretted Helene Fauske at the microphone ofEurosport. Brest’s best scorer is Jenny Carlson (5 goals), while in goal, the arrival of Darly Zoqbi de Paula in the second half (0 saves out of 6) did not change the course of the match (11 saves out of 32 for his friend Julie Foggea). Brest therefore leaves Metz alone qualified for the Champions League (the Messines are in the quarter without having to go through a play-off) and will be able to concentrate on their semi-final of the Coupe de France and on the end of the season in the league, even if this will be hard to catch the Dragonnes.
Brest markers: Toublanc (2), Fauske (3), Kobylinska (3), Kouyaté (4), Foppa (3), Brnovic (3), Carlson (5), Grbic (1)
The quarter-finals of the Champions League (go on April 29-30, return on May 6-7)
Rapid Bucarest (ROU) or Krim Mercator (SLO) – Vipers Kristianstad (NOR)
Budapest (HON) – Metz (FRA)
Esbjerg (DAN) – CSM Bucarest (ROU)
Odense (DAN) – Györ (HON)