French champion Metz Handball is on the verge of confirming the top spot in the group, continuing its unbeaten streak of 12 consecutive games in the 2024/25 EHF Women’s Handball Champions League. On the other hand, Denmark’s Nyk ø Falster ̊ndbold failed to advance to the playoffs due to this defeat.
The Mets defeated Nuuku Bing 30-22 in the 12th round of the Champions League Group A match at Palais Omnisports Les Arenes Metz in France on the 8th (local time).
The win gave the Mets a lead of 11 wins and one draw (23 points), and they only need to add one point in the remaining two games to seal the group’s top spot. On the other hand, Nuke Bing remained in eighth place with one win, two draws and nine losses (4 points), making it impossible to advance to the playoffs.
The Mets led the attack with Sarah Boukitt scoring nine goals, while Anne Mette Hansen and Lucie Granier scored five and four goals, respectively. Goalkeeper Cleopatra Darleux Mingam also played a key role in defense with nine saves.
Nouköbing fought hard, with Sophie Bardrum scoring five goals and Caroline Aar Jakobsen scoring four, but it was not enough to stop the Mets’ offensive. Goalkeeper Catharina Fiskerstrand Broch also made six saves, but did not prevent the loss.
The Mets moved one step closer to the top of the final standings with a victory based on a 65% high shooting success rate and solid defense. In addition, he is the only team without defeat in the competition, continuing his power to record at least 11 wins in the last five consecutive seasons.
The Mets went ahead with two goals in the first half of the game, but back-to-back runs allowed them to tie the game 3-3. After a tight game, the Mets scored three goals in a row to start a 10-7 run, finishing 16-13 in the first half.
As soon as the second half began, the Mets again scored three consecutive goals, widening the gap to 19-13. After that, he led the flow by eight goals from five throughout the game, eventually finishing 30–22.
After the game, Mets center back Petra Vamos told the EHF: “I’m really happy. I trained really hard this season, and the results are coming out. This team has a lot of potential, and there’s still a lot to improve. Today’s game was not the most beautiful handball game, but the most important thing is victory. I will continue to make efforts in the future,” he said.
The Mets will confirm the group’s top spot with just one more point in the remaining two games, and they currently have the upper hand against second-place Rail Cargo Hungaria, which is in the upper hand.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]
