Ana Gros opened the scoring for Krim, but her teammates Tamara Mavsar and Ana Abina were unfortunately unsuccessful in their following attacks. While the Tigresses remained stuck at just one goal, the hosts capitalized on their chances, quickly pulling ahead to 4:1. The “Blues” ended their dry spell thanks to Grace Zaadi Deuna, who made her return to the European stage after a short injury break.
In the 12th minute, Betchaidelle Ngombele received a two-minute suspension, while on the other side, Mareike Thomaier was also sent off. The score remained unchanged until both players returned to the court. In the 16th minute, Krim’s captain narrowed the gap to just one goal, but the equalizer never came. Instead, Jakob Vestergaard’s squad regained a three-goal lead, prompting Spanish head coach Ambros Martín to call a timeout.
Unfortunately, it did not have the desired effect. Itana Grbić was soon sent off, followed by a costly mistake from Jennifer Gutiérrez, resulting in a penalty for the opponents. The home team made the most of the situation and took a four-goal lead. The gap remained the same at halftime, with the scoreboard reading 14:10.
Tjaša Stanko started the second half aggressively, but so did Jenny Carlson and her teammates on the opposing side. Within moments, their lead skyrocketed to 11 goals – an advantage too great for Krim to overturn.
Despite the heavy final score (31:21), nothing is decided yet. RK Krim Mercator will have a chance to turn things around in exactly one week in the return match at Hala Tivoli. A game where the Krim family will desperately need loud support from the stands. The battle at the heart of Slovenian sports will take place on Sunday, March 30, at 14:00. Get your tickets HERE!
Ambrosio Martin, head coach of Krim Mercator: »I can’t say much after such a match, as the result speaks for itself. Nothing worked in our game, it was similar to the match in Bucharest. We suffered. We have a challenging week ahead of us, and we will try to recover and find a solution for next week to show a different side of ourselves.«
Tjaša Stanko, handball player of Krim Mercator: »In the second half today, we simply couldn’t find a solution. The difference is unfortunately quite large, but we still have the return leg. We have the opportunity, and we won’t give up!«
EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, PLAY-OFF, 1st GAME
Sunday, 23rd March 2025, at 14:00
HB LUDWIGSBURG (GER) : KRIM MERCATOR 31:21 (14:10)
HB Ludwigsburg: Bundsen 1, Thomaier 2, Gassama Cissokho 1, Döll 3, Leuchter 5, Kudlacz-Gloc 2, Roth, Johansen 2, Hvenfelt 2, Smits 1, Behrend 1, Nestaker 2, Carlson 3, Faluvegi 1, Mala 5.
Krim Mercator: Radičević, Stanko 5, Gros 4, Zaadi Deuna 1, Mavsar 2, Abina A. 2, Arenhart, N’Diaye 1, Vojnovič, Gutierrez Bermejo 1, Zulič 1, Pandžić, Ngombele 1, Brnović 2, Grbić 1, Egger.
7 meters: HB Ludwigsburg 3/3, RK Krim Mercator 1/2
2-minutes suspensions: HB Ludwigsburg 12 min, RK Krim Mercator 8 min
Photo: Uroš Pihner / Krim Mercator