Strong First Half from Krim, CSM Take Control After the Break

Krim entered the new European season with courage and confidence. The first half was extremely tight, with the score level no fewer than 13 times. The home side stayed with the favourites throughout and finished the half strongly to take a two-goal lead into the break (19:17) – the biggest advantage held by either team in the opening 30 minutes.

After the break, CSM, who once again have their sights set on the very top of European club handball, showed their quality and, above all, the depth of their squad. The teams were level for the final time at 21:21 before the visitors took control and gradually extended their lead. With Krim missing several players through injuries and illness, fatigue began to take its toll, and CSM took advantage to secure a 37:29 victory.

Krim’s next European challenge comes on Saturday (12 September, 16:00), when they face FTC in the Budapest suburbs. The match will be broadcast live on Arena Sport.

Captain Nina Zulić led Krim’s scoring with nine goals, eight of them coming in an outstanding first half. She also created several opportunities for her teammates with some excellent assists.

Young line player Lana Puncer (pictured below) also delivered an excellent performance, scoring six times. Goalkeeper Maja Vojnovič made several important saves as well, particularly during Krim’s impressive first half.

It was also a special evening for several of Krim’s young players. Lara Ermenc and Liana Vuković, who joined the first team from the club’s youth ranks ahead of this season, made their EHF Champions League debuts and both marked the occasion with a goal. Nina Kovšca and Eleonora Stanković also made their first appearances in Europe’s elite club competition.

Krim return to home court, this time at Hala Tivoli, on Saturday, 19 September (18:00), when they host Danish side Team Esbjerg in Round 3 of the EHF Champions League. Find tickets HERE.

Although the final score does not tell the full story, Krim showed, particularly in the first half, that the foundations of this new team are firmly in place. The return of injured and ill players will give the young squad much-needed depth, while the performance against one of Europe’s strongest teams provided plenty of reasons for optimism ahead of the matches to come.

🎙️ Post-match reactions

Rasmus Poulsen, head coach of RK Krim OTP Group Mercator: “The first half was on a high level for us, even though we have just 12 players, with the others sick or injured. So, we can be very proud of the first half. Very high, big respect for the girls, but, yeah, in the second half we just died slowly against their energy and qualities. This is natural, but we leave a very big impression from the first half. We still have three very hard games in front of us against top teams, but with the players coming back, hopefully, slowly we can build up the team even stronger. So, in October and November, we will perform at the highest level before Christmas.”

Lana Puncer, line player: “In the first half, we really played very playfully; we weren’t afraid of the challenge and went into the match head-first. We played for each other and also smarter than them. In the second half, our short bench showed, and fatigue caught up with us. We can be proud, we look ahead, and we are looking forward to new matches.”