Media Information - European Handball Federation -...

Women’s EHF Champions LeagueSeason 2014/15

MVM EHF FINAL4Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena

Media Information

Saturday 9 May 2015Semi-final 1 14:15 Larvik vs Dinamo-Sinara

Semi-final 2 16:45 WHC Vardar SCBT vs Buducnost

Sunday 10 May 20153/4 Placement match 14:30

Final 17:00

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Map of participating clubs 4

Media contacts - EHF/M, clubs contacts 5

MVM takes up title sponsorship for the Women’s EHF FINAL4 7

New trophy unveiled 7

Extended coverage on ehfTV 9

TV stations showing the MVM EHF FINAL4 live 9

Fan vote for 2014/15 All-star team 10

Players’ awards of the 2013/14 season 10

Facts & figures after quarter-finals 11

Semi-final 1 preview: Larvik vs Dinamo-Sinara 13

Larvik team pages 14

Dinamo-Sinara team pages 19

Semi-final 2 preview: Buducnost vs WHC Vardar SCBT 24

WHC Vardar SCBT team pages 25

Buducnost team pages 30

Potential head-to-head stats in the EC competitions 35

Top scorers after quarter-finals 36

Scorers of the 2014 MVM EHF FINAL4 37

Past winners - clubs 38

Past winners - individuals 39

All-time EHF Champions League club standings 40

EHF Champions League history 1993-2015 41

2014/15 Seeding list 43

2014/15 Playing system diagram - stages and dates 44

Important regulations - what follows if a match ends in a draw 45

Table of contents

4

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EHF/M Media contacts

Clubs – Media contacts

Media matters

Thomas SchöneichMedia and Communications European Handball Federation+43 1 80 151 [email protected] Twitter: @ehfmedia

TV and Radio

Miguel Mateo MarcellánMedia ManagerEHF Marketing GmbH+43 1 80 151 [email protected]

WHC BuducnostMilos Pavicevic+382 682 226 66E-Mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

Dinamo-Sinara VolgogradEduard Akopian+7 905 333 33 [email protected]

Larvik HKSvein Andre Svendsen+47 901 82 [email protected]

WHC Vardar SCBTAna Mihajlovska+389 [email protected]

Media portal

All media representatives are invited to register for the EHF media portal on http://members.ehf.eu

The European Handball Federation’s media portal is a one-stop-shop for media representatives offering all the EHF’s media news such as press releases, event flash quotes directly after matches, press conference highlights, draw reactions and downloads of all relevant information including, but not limited to, media guides and event logos. Furthermore photographs that are free for editorial usewill be available for download.

For major events such as the EHF EURO or the VELUX EHF FINAL4 match prep kits including historical information and head-to-head statistics will also be made available.

If you haven’t registered yet, please send an email [email protected] we will provide you with the log-in details.

Online information

ehfCL.comehfTV.comRegulations of the Women’s EHF Champions League Twitter: @ehfmedia, @ehfclFacebook: ehf.champions.league

Official name The official name of the competition is: Women’s EHF Champions League. The full name of the competition should always be used.

Please note: If the season is required, it has to be positioned after “Champions League” e.g. Women’s EHF Champions League 2013/14. The wording “Champions League” should be written with a capital letter at the beginning of each word, i.e. Champions League. The remaining letters should be in lower case. The word Champions does not have an apostrophe after the ‘s’.

Media information

9/10 May 2015 · Papp László Budapest Sportaréna

To purchase your tickets visit: www.ehfFINAL4.com

2015 MVMEHF FINAL4

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Energy giant MVM takes up title sponsorshipfor WOMEN’S EHF FINAL4

The Hungarian energy company MVM Magyar Villamos Művek Zrt. has signed a contract with the organisers of the WOMEN’S EHF FINAL4, becoming the event’s title sponsor for the second year in a row. The event’s official name will be the 2015 MVM EHF FINAL4.

The final weekend of the WOMEN’S EHF Champions League and pinnacle event of women’s club handball will take place on 9/10 May 2015 in the Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest. One year ago, Hungarian side Győri Audi ETO KC lifted the trophy after a thrilling final victory against Montenegrin club Buducnost in front of 10,000 fans.

Commenting on the agreement, Peter Vargo, Managing Director of EHF Marketing, said: “The fact that MVM has become the event’s

title sponsor underlines its prestige and the reputation that women’s handball has in Europe.”

Csilla Nagy, Deputy Communications Director of MVM, said: “Last year’s MVM EHF FINAL4 was a huge success as 10,000 fans celebrated women’s handball together with the participating teams.

“We continue in our efforts to give ‘a lot of energy’ to the best European handball teams and we are proud to be the title sponsor of the 2015 MVM EHF FINAL4. We believe the event will increase the rank of both Hungary and our company on the national as well as on the international level.”

2015 MVM EHF FINAL4

2015 is the second consecutive year that the WOMEN’S EHF Champions League culminates in an EHF FINAL4-weekend and is not decided by home and away matches between the two eventual finalists.

After the successful premiere last year with 10,000 fans following the matches in a sold-out Papp László Sportaréna, the EHF and EHF Marketing reached an agreement with the Hungarian Handball Federation as local organisers until 2016.

More information and tickets at: www.ehfFINAL4.com

Its form is inspired by the movement of the ball on the court, the quick passes, the shots and the always-changing formations on the court. In other words: The new trophy for the winning team of the Women’s EHF Champions League is a true symbol for handball.

On the occasion of the draw for the 2015 MVM EHF FINAL4 at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME), it was unveiled to the public for the first time.

“We felt that our task was to design a trophy that breaks with stereotypes. We built the concept on the dynamics of the game. This sport, for us, means tactic, quick passes, jump shots, always changing formations. The movement of the ball in the space determines different points, which form the frame of the object,” said

the two artists Krisztián Ádám and Balázs Sipos.

The new trophy will be handed over for the first time after final at the 2015 MVM EHF FINAL4 on Sunday, 10 May. Both Ádám and Sipos are MOME graduates and formed one of six university teams that had entered the competition to design a new trophy.

At the beginning of the year the European Handball Federation, EHF Marketing and the Hungarian Handball Federation as local organisers had partnered with MOME and gave teams comprised of university graduates the chance to come up with a new design – eventually a jury made up of all stakeholders went for Ádám’s and Sipos’ concept.

New trophy unveiledMVM EHF FINAL4 Trophy FactboxAuthors: Krisztián Ádám & Balázs SiposWeight: 11 kgHeight: 100 cmMaterials: red copper galvanised, corian (base)

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Extended coverage on ehfTV.com

The 2015 MVM EHF FINAL4 coverage on the ehfTV.com, the world’s biggest handball streaming platform, will start already on Friday afternoon with the first videos produced on site showing arrival of the teams, media calls with coaches and players in the Aquicnum Hotel, first trainings and special videos from Budapest.

There will be a rich offer of various videos including a presentation of the new All-star team shown on the ehfTV throughout the whole weekend. The platform will stream the entire world feed, it means that the broadcasting of the matches will start 30 minutes before the throw-off times and will end after the post-match press conferences. All in all fans can look forward to watching more than 10 hours of live action from the Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena.

All matches of the season live

Handball fans across Europe will not miss a single match in this season of both elite European club competitions. All matches starting from Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League and Group Matches of the Women´s EHF Champions League have been broadcast live and free of charge on ehfTV.com and the videos of all matches will be also on demand (subject to geo-blocking restrictions).

The complete coverage of all matches means that only during the group stage of both competitions handball fans will be spoilt by 120 men’s and 84 women’s matches. Together with knock-out stages this is supposed to offer this season more than 244 handball matches on ehfTV.com.

ehfTV.com extends the coverage of the Women’s EHF Champions League In the 2014/15 season, handball’s leading live streaming platform ehfTV.com has been preparing a new package for all fans of women’s handball. From the opening round of the Group Matches ehfTV has been producing a new magazine compiling the most interesting scenes of the round.

Every Monday after a playing round “REWIND - The Women’s Handball Show” shows not only the highlights of the games, but also interviews with players and selections of the top five goals and saves.

During the 26 minute long programme fans are also introduced to a rookie of the round followed by best scenes of the three biggest stars of the round.

As of 6 May 2015:

MKD - Alfa TVMNE – RTCGNOR – ViasatRUS – NTV+HUN - Digi SportsCRO – Arena SportSRB – ArenaSportBIH – ArenaSportFRA – beIN SportsROU – Digi SportROU – Dolce SportDEN - DRDEN – TV3 SportsPOL – NC+SVK – Sport1CZE – Sport1SLO – Sport TVBRA - Esporte InteractivoMENA – beIN Sports

TV stations showing the MVM EHF FINAL4 live

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Fan vote for All-star teamEurope’s handball fans cannot go wrong and this is why the European Handball Federation for the second year in a row has put its trust in its most loyal fans, giving them the chance to vote online for the Women’s EHF Champions League All-star team of the 2014/15 season.

Last season more than 18,000 fans participated in the week leading up to the 2014 MVM EHF FINAL4 at the beginning of May, the final weekend of the Women’s EHF Champions League. Following this huge success voting started much earlier with the poll opening on 1 April and voting lasting until Sunday, 3 May 2015. Fans could choose their Women’s EHF Champions League 2014/15 team online and via the ehfCL.com website.

And with a new chance to vote came new developments as for the first time fans have the chance not only to vote for the best player in each position and the best defender – there were five nominees each –, but also for the best young player (born in 1992 or younger) and the best coach. This means that all in all there were 50 players and coaches that had been preselected by the EHF. These players represented 18 different nations and 12 clubs from the current Women’s EHF Champions League season. The fans’ choice for the All-star team will be announced during the MVM EHF FINAL4 in Budapest on 9 and 10 May 2015.

Players have been nominated on the basis of their comprehensive performance throughout the season so far; not just their goal-getting prowess, but also their performance in defence, the number of blocks, assists and reaction in crucial moments during each match.

The players nominated for the 2014/15 season were:

Goalkeepers:Marta Zderic (CRO) – Buducnost (MNE)Sandra Toft (DEN) – Larvik HK (NOR)Anna Sedoykina (RUS) Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)Amandine Leynaud (FRA) – WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)Katja Schülke (GER) – HC Leipzig (GER)

Left wings:Tamara Mavsar (SLO) – RK Krim Mercator (SLO)Paule Baudouin (FRA) – Metz Handball (FRA)Valentina Ardean (ROU) – HCM Baia Mare (ROU)Siraba Dembele (FRA) – WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)Maria Fisker (DEN) – Viborg HK A/S (DEN)Left backs:Cristina Neagu (ROU) – Buducnost (MNE)Nadja Nadgornaja (GER) – Thüringer HC (GER)Andrea Penezic (CRO) – WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)Alina Wojtas (POL) – Larvik HK (NOR)Olga Akopian (RUS) – Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)

Line players:Heidi Loke (NOR) – Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)Luisa Schulze (GER) – HC Leipzig (GER)Danick Snelder (NED) – Thüringer HC (GER)Dragana Cvijic (SRB) – Buducnost (MNE)Nina Kamto (FRA) – Metz Handball (FRA)

Centre backs:Karolina Kudlacz (POL) – HC Leipzig (GER)Ida Oden (SWE) - IK Sävehof (SWE)Isabelle Gulldén (SWE) – Viborg HK A/S (DEN)Aniko Kovacsics (HUN) – Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)Andrea Lekic (SRB) – WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)

Right backs:Ana Gros (SLO) – Metz Handball (FRA)Anna Kochetova (RUS) – Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)Nora Mørk (NOR) – Larvik (NOR)Katarina Bulatovic (MNE) – Buducnost (MNE)Susann Müller (GER) – Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)

Right wings:Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren (NOR) – Larvik (NOR)Katrin Engel (AUT) – Thüringer HC (GER)Radmila Petrovic (MNE) – Buducnost (MNE)Alexandra Do Nascimento (BRA) – HCM Baia Mare (ROU)Jovanka Radicevic (MNE) – WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)

Best defenders:Rikke Skov (DEN) – Viborg HK A/S (DEN)Anja Althaus (GER) – WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)Marit Malm Frafjord (NOR) – Larvik HK (NOR)Gabriella Szücs (HUN) – HCM Baia Mare (ROU)Dorina Korsos (HUN) – Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)

Best young players (born in 1992 or younger):Daria Dmitrieva (RUS) – Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)Eliza Iulia Buceschi (ROU) – HCM Baia Mare (ROU)Elizabeth Omoregie (BUL) – RK Krim Mercator (SLO)Louise Sand (SWE) – IK Sävehof (SWE)Lois Abbingh (NED) – HCM Baia Mare (ROU)

Best coachesAmbros Martin (ESP) – Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)Ole Gustav Gjekstad (NOR) – Larvik HK (NOR)Dragan Adzic (MNE) – Buducnost (MNE)Viktor Ryabykh (RUS) – Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)Tone Tiselj (SLO) – HCM Baia Mare (ROU)

2013/14 EHF Champions League Players’ Awards

All-star team:Goalkeeper: Clara Woltering (GER) - BuducnostLeft wing: Majda Mehmedovic (MNE) - BuducnostLeft back: Eduarda Amorim (BRA) - GyörCentre back: Anita Görbicz (HUN) - GyörLine player: Ana Dokic (MNE) - VardarRight back: Katarina Bulatovic (MNE) - GyörRight wing: Jovanka Radicevic (MNE) - VardarBest Defender: Suzana Lazovic (MNE) - Buducnost

Best young player: Fie Woller (DEN) - FC MidtjyllandTop scorer: Anita Görbicz (HUN) - GyörMVM EHF FINAL4 Most Valuable Player: Katrine Lunde (NOR) - Györ

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Facts and figures

92 matches since the start of the group matches have been played in the Women’s EHF Champions League so far. Just four remain in Budapest on 9/10 May and they will determine which team will succeed Györi Audi ETO KC as champions.

Here are the most important facts and figures of the 2014/15 season, prior to the MVM EHF FINAL4 in Budapest. The draw for the pinnacle of women’s club handball will be staged in Budapest on Tuesday (live on ehfTV at 11:00 CET), where the new trophy will also be unveiled.

1 team – Larvik – have won all their matches this season.

1 team – Dinamo-Sinara against Baia Mare– turned a defeat in the first quarter-final leg in a ticket to Budapest

1 quarter-final match (Györ vs Vardar) ended with a draw.

1 player – Katarina Bulatovic (now in a Buducnost jersey) can be the only player to win the 2014 and 2015 title of the Women’s EHF Champions League after raising the trophy with Györ last season.

2 teams – Buducnost and Vardar – had already been part of the first MVM EHF FINAL4 in Budapest in 2014. Buducnost lost the final, against Györ, while Vardar finished third.

2 teams – Larvik and Buducnost – remained unbeaten in all stages of the competition to make it to Budapest.

2 teams won both quarter-final legs – again Larvik and Buducnost.

2 former Women’s EHF Champions League winners are still in the competition: Larvik (2011) and Buducnost (2012).

2 multiple EHF CL winners are in the squads of the four teams: Katarina Bulatovic (Buducnost - 2007 Slagelse, 2012 Buducnost, 2014 Györ) and Anja Althaus (Vardar – 2009 and 2010 Viborg).

4 nations are represented by the four FINAL4 participants: Norway, Russia, FYR Macedonia and Montenegro. Eight different nations were part of the quarter-finals, 11 in the main round and 14 in the group matches.

8 straight seasons from 2006/07 to 2013/14 Györ had at least been part of the semi-finals. For the first time since the 2005/06 season the Hungarian champions were eliminated before this stage.

8 matches in total ended with a draw, six in the group matches and each one in the main round and quarter-finals.

12 points in six matches (maximum) were reached by the two group winners Larvik and Buducnost in the main round.

15 years ago, Dinamo were part of their first and only Women’s EHF Champions League semi-final to date. The Russians missed the finals by one goal on aggregate after a 18:23 away defeat and a 26:22 win against Kometal Skopje.

15 different nations are represented in the squads of the four participants: NOR, POL, DEN, MKD, GER, RUS, FRA, SLO, ESP, MNE, ROU, SRB, TUN, CRO, AZE

18 goals was the biggest margin in the quarter-final matches, when Larvik beat THC by 36:18.

19 matches since the start of the group matches ended with a margin of ten or more goals: Nine in the group matches, eight in the main round and two in the quarter-finals.

20 goals was the biggest margin all matches since the start of the competition, when Leipzig beat Hypo 42:22.

22 teams representing 19 countries have been part of the Women’s EHF Champions League season 2014/15.

37 matches in total ended with a win of the away team, 18 in the group matches, 17 in the main round and two in the quarter-finals.

37 goals were the lowest score in all matches since the start of the group phase, when Buducnost beat Thüringer HC by 23:14.

42 was the lowest number of goals in the quarter-final matches, when Vardar beat Györ 24:18.

47 matches in total ended with a win of the home team, 24 in the group matches, 18 in the main round and five in the quarter-finals.

76 goals were scored in the main round match Krim vs Vardar (29:47) to be the highest score in this season so far.

87 goals were scored in the duels of Larvik vs Sävehof (25:20, 25:17) to be the lowest scoring matches of the main round.

92 goals had been scored by Romanian left back Cristina Neagu (Buducnost) so far to top the scorers list.

92 matches have been played in the Women’s EHF Champions League season so far.

+104 is the impressive goal difference of Buducnost after 14 matches.

147 goals were scored in the two duels of Krim vs Vardar (30:41, 29:47) to be high score of a duel.

287 goals Buducnost conceded in their 14 matches to have the best defensive record of the four MVM EHF FINAL 4 teams

391 goals were scored by both Buducnost and Larvik to have the best attack of the four participants, one goal ahead of Vardar (390)

5,200 spectators was the highest attendance in the Women’s EHF Champions League season so far, when Györ opened their new arena with the group match against Sävehof.

Larvik and Buducnost arrive unbeaten in Budapest, Neagu top scorer so far

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Larvik vs Dinamo-SinaraPapp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena

Saturday 9 May, 14:15 hrs. local time

With history and experience on their side, Larvik cannot evade the role of favourites. But looking at their semi-final rival’s performances throughout the season, including an eight-goal win against the powerful WHC Vardar SCBT (33:25), it will be anything but a mere stroll to the final when the Norwegians meet Dinamo-Sinara in the MVM EHF FINAL4 semi-final.

“I have great respect for Dinamo Sinara. We’ve played many good matches against Dinamo in history, but whether we are favourites or not does not matter to us. We know that we have to be the better team to win the semi-final,” said Larvik coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad.

Three-time finalists Larvik, will have seven players that won the elusive trophy in 2011 currently in the team, which might just prove to be the decisive difference, according to current top scorer, Nora Mork.

“Of course, they probably don’t have as much experience as we do, and we may be able to benefit from that, but we will definitely have to take that task very, very seriously,” she said.

Back with a shout

The 2011 winners are back among the four best teams after missing out on the final showdown last term. The Norwegian team has had a turbulent season, following financial difficulties that threatened to jeopardise their goal of reaching the MVM EHF FINAL4. Regardless, their performances did not falter, as the star-laden team are currently on a 18-game winning streak in Europe.

“It means a lot to us (to be at the MVM EHF FINAL4), especially considering that we didn’t make it last year. Everything has been aimed at qualifying for Budapest,” said Mork.

Mork has been nothing short of amazing in her team’s campaign to the MVM EHF FINAL4 recording 84 goals in her seventh Champions League season. Her 12-goal masterclass against Thüringer which edged the quarter-final tie, was just a preview of what the prolific right back is capable of before she takes on the court in Budapest.

Coach to bid farewell in Budapest

Regardless of whether Larvik reach the final or not, the match on Sunday will be a testimonial for their long serving coach (from 1998 to 2005, and from 2011 to 2015), who has decided to say farewell to handball after 11 seasons in total with the club. This may provide additional motivation for Larvik players to win the coveted trophy for the second time in history.

“To end in style with Larvik would mean a lot to me. The dream is to lift the Champions League trophy on Sunday 10 May. That would be a fantastic ending,” Gjekstad said.

Giant killing in mind

The Russian team has proven to have the quality to upset the odds. Their home win (33:25) against Vardar is a clear statement of intent, underlined by an epic quarter-final comeback against Baia Mare, after a narrow defeat in the first leg.

“We showed our result was no fluke in the quarter-finals against Baia Mare – a team with a number of great players. That victory brought us to Budapest,” said Dinamo-Sinara right wing Anita Gace in her blog for ehfCL.com

This is the best result for the Russian side since 2000, when they played in the semi-finals. With Norwegian powerhouse Larvik clearly the bigger name in this matchup, the hard working Russian side will however relish the role of outsiders, playing without any pressure.

“The public don’t consider us favorites and maybe we can use this as an advantage to cause a surprise. We’ve shown that we can compete with anyone, and hopefully we will do the same in Budapest,“

Nurturing a hard working dynamic defence and efficient counter attack, led by prolific right back Anna Kochetova, Dinamo definitely have the game to upset the likes of Larvik. Over the course of 60 minutes with no room for mistakes or complacency - It will be interesting to see whether the Russian side can repeat their giant-killing performances in Budapest, more than 2,000 kilometres away from home.

Semi-final 1

Head-to-head stats: Larvik vs Dinamo-Sinara 7-0-2 (280:216) 14:4 13.03.2005 Dinamo AQUA Volgograd vs Larvik HK, Cup Winners’ Cup – Quarter-final 28:27 (13:13) 19.03.2005 Larvik HK vs Dinamo AQUA Volgograd, Cup Winners’ Cup – Quarter-final 36:29 (21:15) 14.12.2008 Larvik HK vs Dinamo Volgograd, EHF Women’s Trophy – Place 3/4 28:24 (13:13) 08.11.2009 Larvik HK vs HC Dinamo, EHF Champions League – Group D 18:17 (8:9) 16.01.2010 HC Dinamo vs Larvik HK, EHF Champions League – Group D 26:23 (10:10) 12.02.2011 Larvik vs Dinamo, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 2 41:20 (24:9) 05.03.2011 Dinamo vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 2 23:32 (11:16) 28.10.2012 Dinamo Volgograd vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Group C 24:35 (14:17) 03.11.2012 Larvik vs Dinamo Volgograd, EHF Champions League – Group C 40:25 (20:11)

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Norwegian giants Larvik need no special introduction. One of Europe’s best teams had a poor EHF Champions League campaign last term by their standards as they failed to reach the MVM EHF FINAL4, but the current one promises to be a very different story since they also romped into the quarter-finals with a maximum 20 points and maintained their perfect record through the both matches against Thüringer HC.

Although they rode their luck at times both in the preliminary group stage and the main round got away with several close calls, there is little doubt that Larvik are one of the prime candidates to win their second title in Europe’s elite club competition after lifting the trophy in 2011.

They have been the core of Norway’s national team for some time now and having won EHF EURO 2014 with some aplomb, the challenge of adding the elusive Champions League title on the same court in the Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena cannot come soon enough for several players who were crowned in Hungary last December.

Larvik, whose transition from defence to attack and the ability to score an avalanche of easy goals from fast breaks is unmatched, have only two foreigners in their ranks but the arrival of both Polish left back Alina Wojtas and Danish goalkeeper Sandra Toft has boosted an already impressive roster.

Due to injury they lost Wojtas in the first game against Thüringer HC, but still won both legs easily. In the second leg they were even approaching their record win by 21 goals, but in the last minutes they put the foot off the pedal to give the German champions a chance to avoid even more lopsided defeat.

Larvik (NOR)

Club Address:LarvikSverresgate 7N-3256 LarvikNorway

Media contact:Svein Andre Svendsen+47 901 82 [email protected]

Online information:Website: www.larvikhk.noFacebook: larvikhkTwitter: @LarvikHK

Playing hallArena LarvikHoffsgate 63262 LarvikNorwayCapacity: 4,000

Kit colours

LightPlayer shirt: whitePlayer short: redGoalkeeper shirt: orange

DarkPlayer shirt: blackPlayer short: blackGoalkeeper shirt: green

Past achievements

Women’s EHF Champions LeagueParticipations (including 2014/15 season): 16Winners (1): 2010/11Runners-up (1): 2012/13Semi-final (4): 2001/02, 2003/04, 2009/10, 2011/12Quarter-final (3): 2000/01, 2002/03, 2006/07Main Round (1): 2013/14Group Matches (5): 1994/95, 1997/98, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09

OtherCup Winners‘ Cup: Winners 2004/05, 2007/08, Semi-final 1996/97, 2005/06EHF Cup: Runners-up 2005/06

Norwegian league: 17 titles (1994, 1997, 2000-03, 2005-2015)Norwegian cup: 15 titles

Quarter-final results:@Thüringer HC W29:26 (14:11)vs Thüringer HC W36:18 (17:9)

Main Round results:@ Györi Audi ETO KC W26:25 (14:11)vs Viborg HK A/S W31:18 (18:10)@ IK Sävehof W25:20 (13:11)vs Györi Audi ETO KC W21:19 (12:9)@ Viborg HK A/S W29:23 (12:14)vs IK Sävehof W25:17 (12:8)

Group Matches results:vs Metz Handball W25:20 (11:11)@ MKS Selgros Lublin W28:23 (13:14)@ HCM Baia Mare W24:23 (12:13)vs HCM Baia Mare W31:26 (16:11)@ Metz Handball W26:25 (13:13)vs MKS Selgros Lublin W35:24 (20:10)

Top scorers:Nora Mörk 84 goalsLinn Kristin Riegelhuth 68 Alina Wojtas 47Sanna Solberg 40Anja Hammerseng-Edin 35

Nations represented: 3(NOR, DEN, POL)

Multiple EHF Champions League winners: -

15

Biggest win: 41:20 (24:9) v Dinamo RUS (h), 12.02.2011Biggest defeat: 29:17 (17:7) v RK Krim Neutro Roberts SLO (a), 10.03.2001Longest winning run: 14 matches (18.10.2014-12.04.2015)Longest unbeaten run: 14 matches (18.10.2014-12.04.2015)Longest losing run: 4 matches (03.11.2007 – 05.01.2008)Longest run without win: 5 matches (16.11.2013 – 01.03.2014)Most goals: 41 v Dinamo RUS 41:20W (h), 12.02.2011Most goals opponent: 35 v HC ‘Lada Togliatti’ RUS 35:25L (a), 10.11.2007Most goals both teams: 70 v IK Sävehof SWE 39:31W (h), 13.10.2012Fewest goals: 13 v Buducnost MNE 23:13L (a), 08.04.2012Fewest goals opponent: 16 v Oltchim Valcea ROU 22:16W (h), 10.02.2001 16 v Buducnost MNE 28:16W (h), 16.03.2013Fewest goals both teams: 35 v HC Dinamo RUS 18:17W (h), 08.11.2009

Larvik (NOR)

Women’s EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage

1994/95 Larvik HK NOR 6 2 1 3 141:144 -3 5 3rd Gr. A

1997/98 Larvik HK NOR 6 3 0 3 165:150 +15 6 3rd Gr. C

2000/01 Larvik HK NOR 8 5 0 3 193:181 +12 10 1/4-finals




2005/06 Larvik HK NOR 6 3 0 3 153:154 -1 6 3rd Gr. A


2007/08 Larvik HK NOR 6 2 0 4 166:179 –13 4 3rd Gr. C

2008/09 Larvik HK NOR 6 3 0 3 179:169 +10 6 3rd Gr. C


2010/11 Larvik NOR 16 13 0 3 469:376 +93 26 Winner

2011/12 Larvik NOR 14 6 2 6 336:330 +6 14 1/2-finals

2012/13 Larvik NOR 16 10 0 6 435:379 +56 20 Runner-up

2013/14 Larvik NOR 12 5 2 5 304:280 +24 12 3rd MR Gr. 2

Total 146 83 8 55 3907:3600 +307 174

Larvik in domestic competitions (as of 6 May 2015)

Larvik recorded another brilliant domestic season crowned by their 17th championship title and their 15th cup trophy.

They cruised through the league round to the Norwegian title which is awarded to the best team of the regular season. Courtesy of their first place they obtained a bye in the first two rounds of the play off

part of the season. They suffered the first defeat of the season at hands of Kristiansand last Saturday in the first semi-final leg (25:31), but after their crushing victory in the second leg (31:18) they secured a passage to the final where they meet either Glassverket or Byasen.

In the NM Cup they streamrolled all their opponentnts in the fol-lowing order: Stabaek, Tertnes, Nordstrand and Halden in the final (35:15).

16

No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Goals9 Nora Mørk NOR Right Back 5.4.1991 Oslo, NOR 167 8411 Linn-Kristin Koren Riegelhuth NOR Right Wing 1.8.1984 Lorenskog, NOR 175 6828 Alina Wojtas POL Left Back 21.3.1987 Nowy Sacz, POL 191 4722 Sanna Charlotte Solberg NOR Left Wing 16.6.1990 Bærum, NOR 178 403 Anja Hammerseng-Edin NOR Back 5.2.1983 Porsgrunn, NOR 179 35 10 Gro Hammerseng-Edin NOR Back 10.4.1980 Gjovik, NOR 180 294 Marit Malm Frafjord NOR Line Player 25.11.1985 Tromso, NOR 182 195 Isabel Blanco NOR Line Player 10.5.1979 Bergen, NOR 175 1815 Linn Jorum Sulland NOR Right Back 15.7.1984 Oslo, NOR 178 178 Karoline Dyhre Breivang NOR Back 10.5.1980 Oslo, NOR 172 1419 Thea Mørk NOR Left Wing 5.4.1991 Oslo, NOR 168 913 Vilde Ingeborg Johansen NOR Line Player 25.7.1994 Tønsberg, NOR 182 6 14 Kristine Breistøl NOR Left Back 23.8.1993 Oslo, NOR 191 56 Tine Rustad Albertsen NOR Back 12.2.1980 Lorenskog, NOR 172 20 Frida Helene Bjaaland NOR Left Back 5.7.1995 Porsgrunn, NOR 179 2 Tonje Larsen NOR Back 26.1.1975 Tonsberg, NOR 185 18 Lise Loke NOR Line Player 21.9.1984 Tønsberg, NOR 171 21 Sofie Heide Lund NOR Left Wing 7.3.1994 Bærum, NOR 163 7 Mari Kristine Søbstad Molid NOR Back 8.8.1990 Trondheim, NOR 178 17 Tine Stange NOR Back 14.5.1986 Tonsberg, NOR 179 77 Cecilie Leganger NOR Goalkeeper 12.3.1975 Bergen, NOR 181 1 Sandra Toft DEN Goalkeeper 18.10.1989 Gribskov, DEN 176 12 Alma Hasanic NOR Goalkeeper 13.5.1989 Sije, BIH 176

Team roster

Larvik HK (NOR)

17

Ole Gustav Gjekstadcoach• former Norwegian international (149 caps) quit his playing career in 1996

• became coach of Larvik for the first time in 1998

• after seven years on the bench he became sports director of the club and later-on coach of Norwegian men’s club team Drammen HK

• in 2011, after Larvik had become CL winners returned to their bench and only narrowly missed the trophy after their defeat by Györ in 2012/13

Sandra Toftgoalkeeper• her 25th birthday on 18 October 2014 marked her debut in the CL (against Metz Handball)

• 2014/15 is her first season outside her native country Denmark after she came from Holstebro

• became number one for Denmark when Karin Mortensen and Christina Nymand Pedersen quit the national team after the London Olympics 2012

• broke a neck vertebra in a car accident in 2009 and was close to being paralysed from the neck down – she was back on the court in five months

Marit Malm Frafjordline player• used to play for Larvik’s rivals Byasen, but joined Larvik in 2014 after a three year long foreign adventure at Viborg HK

• crucial in the centre of defence as well in the attack, to Larvik and the Norwegian national team

• an Achilles tendon injury kept her out of the last part of last season, and the first half of this one, but since new year, she has been back at full strength

Anja Hammerseng-Edincentre back• awarded the MVP at the EHF EURO 2012 after she led Norway to the silver medal

• also for her club team she has proven to be extremely valuable – at orchestrating Larvik’s attacking play

• played in Gerpen and Storhamar before she joined Larvik in 2012

• in the 2013 summer she got married to her teammate Gro Hammerseng.

Gro Hammerseng-Edinleft back• World Handball Player of the year (2007)

• excluding the 2011 WCh title and the 2012 Olympic gold - she has the same medals as Riegelhuth-Koren

• several times the 32-year-old Norwegian was nominated for All-Star Teams at major tournaments

• in 2011 she was a key part of Larvik’s CL winning team

• in 2013 she retired from the national team

Sanna Solberg left wing• joined Larvik from Norwegian league colleagues Stabaek in the summer of 2014.

• 2014/15 is her first CL season, she has European experience from the Cup Winners Cup with Stabaek, though.

• her twin sister Silje plays for Danish league club Team Tvis Holstebro as a goalkeeper

• Silje had played 36 internationals already, when Sanna had her debut in the autumn of 2013.

Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth-Korenright wing• one of the most decorated players in the handball history

• World Handball Player of the Year (2008)

• All-Star Team member at EHF EURO 2008 and WCh 2009

• EHF EURO 2008 topscorer (51 goals)

• scored over 900 goals for Norway’s national team

• married to Norwegian international Einar Koren.

Nora Mørkright back• best scorer of the Norwegian team at the EHF EURO 2014 (41 goals)

• voted the best right back of the EHF EURO 2014

• can also play on the right wing, her twin sister and teammate Thea plays on the left wing

• joined Larvik in the 2009/10 season and debuted in the national team in 2010 as 19-year-old

• in 2013/14 she had her record-breaking CL season so far with 71 goals

EC trophies: Cup Winners’ Cup 2014OG: G 2008, 2012, EHF EURO: G 2006, 2008, 2010, S 2012, WCh: G 2011, S 2007, B 2009

EHF EURO: S 2012, WCh: B 2009

EC trophies: CL 2011, Cup Winners’ Cup 2004OG: G 2008, WCh: S 2001, 2007, EHF EURO: G 2004, 2006, 2010, S 2002

EHF EURO: G 2014

EC trophies: CL 2011, Cup Winners‘ Cup 2005, 2008OG: G 2008, 2012, WCh: G 2011, S 2007, EHF EURO: G ‘04, ‘06, ‘08, ‘10, ‘14, S 2012

EC trophies: CL 2011EHF EURO: G 2010, 2014

18

Alma Hasanicgoalkeeper• born in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but has lived in Norway since she was four

• joined Larvik from Norwegian league rivals Glassverket in 2013

• has played 40 junior internationals and one unofficial senior international for Norway. Recently decided to represent Montenegro and has been included in Dragan Adzic s squad

• aggressive goalkeeper type who likes to challenge the shooters, she relies on her flexibility and fast

reactions

Thea Mørk left wing• has been playing in the same team as her twin Nora since the 2010/11 season, when she moved from Njård, while Nora was already in Larvik

• their other sister Kaja plays in Nordstrand

• technically skilled left winger with a fine variation of shots

• had a breakthrough season in 2012/13 scoring 31 goals in the CL

Vilde Ingeborg Johansenline player• only 20 years of age and definitely a player for the future, likely to be part of the backbone of the Larvik team in the years to come

• despite her young age, she is already playing her second EHF CL season

• with the experienced Isabel Blanco sidelined due to pregnancy, she has become important as cover to Frafjord, particularly in attack

Mari Kristine Søbstad Molidback• new in Larvik this season, joining from Levanger in the summer of 2014

• tall and nearly complete back court player and good reader of the game

• already possessed great experience, which is emphasised by 67 internationals for Norway

• her career was set back by a cruciate ligament injury in the spring of 2014, but now she is on her way back to her former form

Karoline Dyhre Breivangback• celebrating her 35 years birthday on the final day of the MVM EHF FINAL4, 10 May

• has played for Larvik since 2005, when she joined from league rivals Stabaek

• with 305 caps she is the athlete with most internationals appearances for Norway in all sports

• recently announced her goodbye to the national team, but is going on for Larvik

• actually a centre back, but she is so versatile that she can play all back court positions

Kristine Breistøl left back• been with Larvik since 2012 when joining from Baekkelaget

• has played 37 junior internationals for Norway and scored 100 goals

• standing 191 cm tall, she has a perfect height for a back court player in women’s handball

• the 21-year-old is considered a player for the future in Larvik

• has already developed a very good and varied shot, benefiting also from her height

Tonje Larsenback• with her 264 internationals, she is among the players with most appearances for Norway

• with Larvik since 2001 and has grown into a legend in the club

• used to be a goal-getting, hard-shooting left back in the attack and brilliant at both ends of the court, but in recent years mainly an asset in defence

• knee injuries have bothered her several times, but still has managed to continue playing until her current age of 40

Linn-Jørum Sullandright back• introduced in Larvik back in 2009, when she joined from league rivals Stabæk

• in 2005/06 the best player of the domestic league and also was the top scorer

• using her strength in the attack only, but here the team benefits a lot from her varied shots from the right back position

• three goals shy of 500 in the national team

• top scorer of the European Beach Handball Championship in 2007

EHF EURO: G 2010, WCh: G 2011

EC trophies: CL 2011, Cup Winners’ Cup 2008OG: G ‘08, ‘12, EURO: G ‘04, ‘06, ‘08, ‘10, ‘14, S ‘12, WCh: G ‘11, S ‘07, B ‘11

EC trophies: CL 2011, Cup Winners’ Cup 2005, 2008OG: G 2008, B 2000, EURO: G 1998, 2008, 2010, S 1996, 2002, B 1994, WCh: G 1999, S 1997, B 2009

EC trophies: CL 2011OG: G 2012, WCh: G 2011, S 2007, EURO: G 2008, 2010, S 2012

EC trophies: CL 2011

19

The pillar of Russian women’s club handball last reached the main round four years ago and this term’s progress was a welcome success for an array of talented home-grown players thriving on the biggest stage.

The impressive 19-year-old centre back Daria Dmitrieva and experienced right back Anna Kochetova formed a lethal partnership in attack, scoring 36 goals each in the group matches to propel Dinamo to the pinnacle of Group A. Surprisingly, they dropped three points against less fancied opposition, having been held to a 25:25 draw at bottom-of-the-table Hypo before they suffered a shock 26:25 home defeat by Krim halfway through the campaign.

But three subsequent straight wins meant they finished top of the group, carrying six points into the main round where they faced the much tougher opposition in Buducnost, Vardar and Thüringer.

But with a vast roster also including summer signing Anita Gace, a Croatian right wing who arrived from Lokomotiva Zagreb during the summer break, the unpredictable Dinamo have confirmed potential to reach the MVM EHF FINAL4. In the main round they recorded just two wins to secure the second position behind Buducnost which pitted them against Baia Mare in the quarter-finals.

In the first leg in Romania they squandered a promising first half lead, but the two-goal deficit they brought home still gave them a good platform for the return leg. They quickly romped into a seven-goal lead which Baia Mare never really threatened.

Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)

Club Address:Dinamo-Sinara VolgogradNovorossiskaya St. 2a, off. 54000131 VolgogradRussia

Media contact:Eduard Akopian+7 905 333 33 [email protected]

Online information:Website: www.hk-dinamo.ru

Playing hallSporthall Dinamo VolgogradNovorossiyskaya St. 24000131 VolgogradRussiaCapacity: 3,000

Kit colours

LightPlayer shirt: whitePlayer short: whiteGoalkeeper shirt: black

DarkPlayer shirt: bluePlayer short: blueGoalkeeper shirt: yellow

Past achievements

Women’s EHF Champions LeagueParticipations (including 2014/2015 season): 13Semi-final (1): 1999/2000Main Round (3): 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/2012Group Matches (5): 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2012/13Qualification (3): 2002/03, 2003/04, 2008/09

OtherEHF Cup: Winners 2007/08, semi-final 2008/09City Cup: semi-final 1997/98Challenge Cup: Winners 1994/95

Russian league: 12 titles (1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)

* to be confirmed

Quarter-final results:@ HCM Baia Mare L23:25 (12:11)vs HCM Baia Mare W30:25 (18:11)

Main Round results:vs Buducnost L18:25 (11:12)@ Thüringer HC W33:30 (14:13)vs WHC Vardar SCBT W33:25 (15:12)@ Buducnost L18:26 (9:13)vs Thüringer HC T30:30 (16:13)@ WHC Vardar SCBT L27:28 (13:15)

Group Matches results:vs HC Leipzig W27:19 (16:10)@ Hypo Niederösterreich T25:25 (14:15)vs RK Krim Mercator L25:26 (15:13)@ RK Krim Mercator W26:24 (13:12)@ HC Leipzig W30:27 (14:14)vs Hypo Niederösterreich W27:22 (13:9)

Top scorers:Anna Kochetova 86 goalsOlga Akopian 76 Daria Dmitrieva 65Ekaterina Fanina 30Anita Gace 30

Nations represented: 4(RUS, CRO, AZE, TUN)

Multiple EHF Champions League winners: -

20

Biggest win: 30:15 (15:7) v Frederiksberg IF DEN (h), 20.01.2001Biggest defeat: 20:41 (9:24) v Larvik NOR (a), 12.02.2011Longest winning run: 3 matches (30.01.2005 – 20.02.2005) 3 matches (17.10.2010 – 07.11.2010) 3 matches (9.11.2014 - 23.11.2014)Longest unbeaten run: 5 matches (29.04.2000 – 27.01.2001)Longest losing run: 4 matches (13.01.2007 – 17.02.2007) 4 matches (14.11.2010 – 12.02.2011) 4 matches (28.10.2012 – 18.11.2012)Longest run without win: 5 matches (08.01.2006 – 12.02.2006)Most goals: 41 v Viborg HK DEN 41:33W (h), 24.10.2010Most goals opponent: 41 v RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana SLO 41:33L (a), 13.01.2007 41 v Larvik NOR 41:20L (a), 12.02.2011Most goals both teams: 74 v RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana SLO 41:33L (a), 13.01.2007 74 v Viborg HK DEN 41:33W (h), 24.10.2010Fewest goals: 17 v Larvik HK NOR 18:17L (a), 08.11.2009Fewest goals opponent: 15 v Frederiksberg IF DEN 30:15W (h), 20.01.2001Fewest goals both teams: 35 v Larvik HK NOR 18:17L (a), 08.11.2009

Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)


1999/00 Volgograd AKVA RUS 10 6 1 3 264:243 +21 13 1/2-finals

2000/01 Volgograd AKVA RUS 8 4 1 3 192:173 +19 9 1/4-finals

2001/02 Volgograd AKVA RUS 6 1 1 4 134:144 –10 3 4th Gr. D

2004/05 Dinamo AQUA Volgograd RUS 6 4 0 2 164:160 +4 8 3rd Gr. B

2005/06 Dinamo Volgograd RUS 6 1 2 3 148:156 -8 4 4th Gr. D

2006/07 H/K Dinamo Volgograd RUS 6 2 0 4 179:196 -17 4 4th Gr. A

2009/10 HC Dinamo RUS 12 4 2 6 313:306 +7 10 4th MR Gr. 2

2010/11 Dinamo RUS 12 5 0 7 332:366 -34 10 3rd MR Gr. 2

2011/12 Dinamo Volgograd RUS 6 3 0 3 170:160 +10 6 3rd Gr. D

2012/13 Dinamo Volgograd RUS 6 1 0 5 157:200 –43 2 3rd Gr. C

Total 78 31 7 40 2053:2104 -51 69

Dinamo in domestic competitions (as of 6 May 2015)

The participation in the European top flight took its toll on the per-formance of the defending champions of Russia. In the main round of the Superleague they finished just two points behind the leaders Ros-tov-Don, but still on the fifth place which gave the home court advan-tage in the decinding match of the best-of-two quarter-final series to the fourth team of the standings from Astrakhanochka. Dinamo won

the first match at home 24:23, but lost the second game after double extratime and a penalty shoot-out 40:41 and were unable to turn the tides in the last encounter (19:23).

Following their successful series against Universitet Izhevsk and Kuban Krasnodar they finished fifth, while the vacant throne has been taken by Rostov-Don.

In the Russian Cup they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Kuban.

21

No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Goals6 Anna Kochetova RUS Right Back 4.5.1987 Volgograd, RUS 180 7610 Olga Akopian RUS Left Back 4.3.1985 Volgograd, RUS 176 6111 Daria Dmitrieva RUS Centre Back 9.8.1995 Toljatti, RUS 178 57 8 Anita Gace CRO Right Wing 14.4.1983 Split, CRO 174 269 Ekaterina Fanina RUS Left Wing 27.11.1989 Volgograd, RUS 163 2314 Polina Vedekhina RUS Left Back 6.1.1994 Volgograd, RUS 176 2266 Asma El Ghaoui TUN Line Player 29.8.1991 Monastir, TUN 174 1913 Nataliya Danshina RUS Right Back 10.4.1992 Voljski, RUS 183 1325 Tamara Chopikyan RUS Left Wing 25.5.1993 Moscow, RUS 167 421 Evgeniya Petrova RUS Line Player 10.8.1994 Toljatti, RUS 181 37 Yaroslava Frolova RUS Centre Back 18.5.1997 Volgograd, RUS 178 315 Anastasia Suslova RUS Left Back 11.10.1996 Volgograd, RUS 182 328 Ekaterina Peche AZE Centre Back 28.10.1982 Astrakhan, RUS 181 25 Yulia Golikova RUS Left Back 24.2.1997 Ufa, RUS 184 24 Daria Belikova RUS Line Player 7.3.1997 Volgograd, RUS 181 22 Ekaterina Chernova RUS Left Wing 18.1.1994 Toljatti, RUS 171 226 Maria Duvakina RUS Goalkeeper 23.3.1998 Maykop, RUS 179 20 Valeriya Ganicheva RUS Right Back 18.12.1996 Volgograd, RUS 180 22 Valeria Kiprigina RUS Left Wing 16.1.1996 Volgograd, RUS 165 30 Margarita Kushnyr RUS Goalkeeper 5.6.1996 Rostov region, RUS 178 18 Yulia Markova RUS Left Wing 10.8.1996 Volgograd, RUS 170 3 Kseniya Milova RUS Left Back 6.1.1992 Moscow, RUS 187 32 Ekaterina Nefedova RUS Right Back 5.12.1996 Yaroslavl, RUS 177 24 Viktoriya Smolentseva RUS Right Wing 25.10.1996 Volgograd, RUS 160 40 Elizaveta Sobina RUS Line Player 7.12.1995 Krasnodar region, RUS 185 19 Anastasia Starshova RUS Right Wing 26.3.1997 Volgograd, RUS 165 17 Valentina Vernigorova RUS Centre Back 15.6.1997 Volgograd, RUS 184 12 Anastasia Titovskaya RUS Goalkeeper 3.3.1996 Volgograd, RUS 181 35 Kristina Pyatkina RUS Goalkeeper 15.3.1997 Volgograd, RUS 177 29 Elena Utkina RUS Goalkeeper 29.5.1990 Volgograd, RUS 1811 Anna Sedoykina RUS Goalkeeper 1.8.1984 Volgograd, RUS 183 1

Team roster

Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)

22

Victor Ryabykhcoach• has been at the helm of Dinamo since 2008 winning six Russian championships in a row

• worked at other Russian clubs as well as in Ukraine and Montenegro

• asked to become Russia national team coach but preferred to stay at Dinamo when forced to choose just one job

• coordinator of the Volgograd youth academy, which is the source for many national team players

Anna Sedoykinagoalkeeper• born and bred in Volgograd, joined Dinamo, then called Volgograd AKVA, in 2000 at the age of 16

• won 13 medals of the Russian league: six gold, five silver and two bronze medals

• one of the heroes of 2009 WCh in China. Early in the final game replaced the experienced Inna Suslina and produced a brilliant performance

• missed the 2013/14 season after giving birth to a daughter in September 2013

Asma El Ghaouiline player• Tunisian experiences her debut season at Dinamo and Russian handball

• previously played for Nimes in France but never took part in any European Cup competitions

• in recent years, she has regularly played for the Tunisia national team. Took part in two WCh — in 2011 (18th place) and 2013 (17th place)

Daria Dmitrievacentre back• started her career in the Togliattian handball school and moved at the age of 14 in Volgograd

• at only 18 she played for all three categories of the Russian national team: youth, junior and senior

• gold medallist from the W17 EHF EURO 2011 and W19 EHF EURO 2013

• silver medal from the World U20 Championship 2014 where she was voted as best playmaker

• at the age of 19 has become one of the leading players at Dinamo

Olga Akopianleft back• has been playing for Dinamo throughout her career

• after the London Olympics in 2012, married Eduard Akopian, the team manager of Dinamo, gave birth to the daughter Arina in May 2013

• at the beginning of 2014 successfully came back to handball

• took part in the 2014 Winter Olympic Torch Relay before the Games in Sochi

Ekaterina Faninaleft wing• born in Volgograd, started her career at Dinamo

• after winning the EHF Cup in 2008, opted to move to Astrakhan where she played for six years

• came back to Dinamo in the summer of 2014 and integrated pretty well into the team

• has experience of playing for junior and senior Russian national teams

Anita Gaceright wing• started her first season in Volgograd and hopes to become an integral part of the team

• spent all her previous career at home in Croatia, changed four clubs Makarska, Osijek, Podravka and Lokomotiva

• won six gold medals in a row at the Croatian league (2006-11), all of them with Podravka

• played more than 100 games for the Croatia national team, took part in three major tournaments (2011 WCh, 2012 OG, 2012 EHF EURO)

Anna Kochetovaright back• her mother used to be a handball player and then a coach and brought Anna to the handball training when the girl was 7

• plays at the same position and with the same number 6 as her mother did

• missed the 2012/13 season and for half a year, travelled extensively all over the world with her husband. Eventually came back to Dinamo, after promising club bosses

EC trophies: EHF Cup 2008WCh: G 2009, EHF EURO: B 2008

African Cup: G 2014

EC trophies: EHF Cup 2008WCh: G 2007, G 2009, EHF EURO: S 2006, B 2008

EC trophies: EHF Cup 2008


23

Elena Utkinagoalkeeper• has been with the club, under one guise or another, since 2005

• won the Russian championship in 2013

• returned to the sport in January after taking maternity leave in 2014

• won a gold medal at the Women’s Youth World Championship in 2008 and a silver at the Junior World Championship in 2010

Tamara Chopikyanleft wing• born in Moscow, Russia, where she took her first steps in the sport

• a firm fans’ favourite due to her fighting spirit and tenacious defensive play

• shares playing time at the left wing position with Ekaterina Fanina

• earned a silver medal with Russia at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

Yaroslava Frolovacentre back• one of Dinamo’s youngest players at 17 years of age

• has reached the MVM EHF FINAL4 in her debut Champions League season

• helped Russia to a second-place finish at the Women’s 17 EHF EURO in 2013

• earned a silver medal at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games

• her mother, Irina, coaches Dinamo’s second team and teammate Ekaterina Fanina is also her cousin

Ekaterina Pechecentre back• born in Astrakhan, Russia but represents Azerbaijan at international level

• was a leading figure for Astrakhanochka for several seasons

• joined Dinamo at the start of the season along with former Astrakhanochka teammate Ekaterina Fanina

• playing in her first CL season and is the only Azerbaijani representative in the competition

Polina Vedekhinaleft back• widely considered one of Russia’s top talents

• possesses great speed and excels in one-on-one situations

• won gold medals with Russia at both the Women’s 17 EHF EURO in 2011 and the Women’s 19 EHF EURO in 2013

• has twice won the Russian championship with Dinamo, in 2013 and 2014

Ekaterina Chernovaleft wing• started playing handball at the age of nine in Togliatti, Russia

• moved to Volgograd following the demise of the Togliattian handball school along with current teammates Daria Dmitrieva and Evgeniya Petrova

• won gold medals with Russia at both the Women’s 17 EHF EURO in 2011 and the Women’s 19 EHF EURO in 2013

• earned a silver medal at the Women’s U20 World Championship in 2014

Nataliya Danshinaright back• sees limited playing time but is often employed as a specialist penalty shooter

• reached the main round with Dinamo during her first Champions League campaign in the 2010/11 season

• played alongside Tamara Chopikyan in the Russian team which earned a silver medal at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

• has won four Russian championships

Evgeniya Petrovaline player• another Dinamo player to come from Togliatti

• won a gold medal with Russia at the Women’s 19 EHF EURO in 2013 and earned a silver medal at the Women’s Junior World Championship in 2014

• made her breakthrough in the Dinamo side at the line player position after Ksenia Makeeva left for HCM Baia Mare

24

WHC Vardar SCBT vs BuducnostPapp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena

Saturday 9 May, 16:45 hrs. local time

Last season, it took the extra time thriller for Buducnost to finally overcome brave Vardar (22:20) in the 2014 MVM EHF FINAL4 semi-final. This year, Dragan Adzic’s defensive powerhouse will face the rampant Vardar side, ready to throw everything they have at last year’s nemesis in a bid to take revenge.

The 2012 Women’s EHF Champions League winners Buducnost, are undefeated in the competition so far. Yet, the upset was looming over the Montenegrin powerhouse on two occasions, and it was no accident that Vardar were the ones to cause the “Blues” most problems - with neither side able to come out on top in their last encounter (24:24).

Unfinished business

After taking part in the very first event last season, both teams are back in Papp Laszlo Sportarena with new and improved squads and some unfinished business.

Buducnost team’s consistency and tactical discipline meets the unconstrained talent and flair of the Vardar girls, offering heaps of individual quality backed by the Balkan-Scandinavian synergy on the bench.

However, the immaculate Montenegrin tactician’s plans will heavily depend on the players’ readiness to feature, after facing more than the usual injury woes throughout the season.

“I expect Biljana Pavicevic to join the team in time, and complete the squad that will hopefully travel to Budapest. We have done well to prepare, and it’s important to have the complete squad at my disposal. At a tournament like this, with two games in two days, rotation can bring the decisive difference,” said Dragan Adzic.

The decisive edge

The Montenegrin giants have the experience on their side, with 11 players that made it to the final last term still in the team. Furthermore, eight players in the current squad have won the coveted trophy with Buducnost in 2012, including Katarina Bulatovic who is back in the team.

The quintessential Montenegrin handball player has won more EHF Champions League titles than all participating teams combined, and is back at the MVM EHF FINAL4, hoping to lift her fourth trophy.

While Indira Kastratovic and Jan Pytlick have a clean bill of health in their team, joining forces to spring a tactical surprise for their Montenegrin counterpart who will favour his tried and tested method of building Buducnost’s game from the lock-down defence.

“Buducnost have the all-important experience – they came close last season, and now we want to go all the way. There weren’t many departures, and I am back with the team which is bound to help,” said Bulatovic, while the Vardar playmaker Andrea Lekic has reasons to believe her team’s attacking prowess will prevail against the tight defence of the team from Podgorica.

“We are putting all of our strength and effort into this. We’re playing better and better, and we want the FINAL4 to be the pinnacle of the season. We better forget last season’s duel, as this one is going to be a completely different story,” said Andrea Lekic.

Best scorers come face to face

With both teams raring to go, nurturing distinct approaches, it will come down to who will draw the first blood and set the pace of the game.

As the match progresses, the fans in Budapest will wittness the shoot-out between two of the competition’s best scorers - Cristina Neagu (92 goals) and Andrea Penezic (89 goals).

“It’s not about me, it’s about the team. In a match like this one goal can decide the winner, and it doesn’t matter how many, but when you score them,” said Penezic.

Vardar will have to rely on their firepower in order to avoid being drawn into playing the low-scoring game, while Buducnost will prioritise neutralising the opponent’s attacking threat, before patiently seeking their chances trough the back court.

“We have to remain confident and composed for the entire 60 minutes. Vardar have endured a lot changes and made a big improvement in comparison to last season. I expect a big fight, and it is up to us to show composure and strength to bring down the big opponent,” said Dragan Adžić.

Head-to-head stats: WHC Vardar SCBT vs Buducnost 0-1-2 (61:69) 1:5

03.05.2014 WHC Vardar SCBT vs Buducnost, EHF Champions League MVM EHF FINAL4 – Semi-final 20:22 AET (16:16, 6:11) 19.10.2014 Buducnost vs WHC Vardar SCBT, EHF Champions League – Group B 23:17 (12:9) 16.11.2014 WHC Vardar SCBT vs Buducnost, EHF Champions League – Group B 24:24 (9:11)

Semi-final 2

25

It is no secret that handball is a Macedonian national sport and following the success of Skopje rivals Vardar and Metalurg in the men’s VELUX EHF Champions League, massive investments have put WHC Vardar SCBT to the fore among the women’s elite in Europe. The club’s owners have been able to lure a myriad of the game’s most acclaimed household names and they repaid the faith by reaching the MVM EHF FINAL4 in their debut season, losing out narrowly in a dramatic semi-final against Buducnost last term.

Rising expectations have piled a certain amount of pressure on the Macedonian title holders to go at least a step further this season, especially after the arrival of prolific Croatian left back Andrea Penezic, Slovenia’s right back Barbara Lazovic-Varlec and German line player Anja Althaus. However, Vardar had to put up with a rough ride in the preliminary group stage, taking only three points from a possible eight into the main round after away defeats by Buducnost and Thüringer, as well as a home draw against the Montenegrin champions.

Although they were skating on thin ice after dropping five points in the group matches, Vardar showed more than enough depth in them to safely finish in the top four of their main round group and reach the knockout stages after they gathered four victories out of six matches. They struggled in their away matches in Leipzig and Volgograd, in front of their home crowd though the team, recently bolstered by a new consultant coach, legendary Jan Pytlick, they are yet to be beaten.

And this remains valid even after the quarter-finals against defending winners Györ. The Hungarian champions, who were severely hit by injuries and pregnancies of their key players this season, lost in Jana Sandanski by six goals in the first leg and were unable to erase this deficit on the home court in the return leg.

WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)

Club Address:WHC Vardar SCBTPreseka 55/101000 SkopjeFYR Macedonia

Media contact:Ana Mihajlovska+389 [email protected]

Online information:Website: www.zrkvardar.mkFacebook: ZRK-Vardar-SCBTTwitter: @zrkvardar

Kit colours

LightPlayer shirt: whitePlayer short: blackGoalkeeper shirt: neon green

DarkPlayer shirt: redPlayer short: redGoalkeeper shirt: blue

Past achievements

Women’s EHF Champions LeagueParticipations (including 2014/15 season): 2Semi-final (1): 2013/14 (third rank at MVM EHF FINAL4)

OtherEHF Cup: Last 16: 2012/13

Macedonian league: 3 titles (2013, 2014, 2015)Macedonian cup: 2 titles

Playing hallJane SandanskiSkopjeFYR MacedoniaCapacity: 5,500

Quarter-final results:vs Györi Audi ETO KC W24:18 (14:10)@ Györi Audi ETO KC T27:27 (12:13)

Main Round results:@ HC Leipzig L23:26 (10:13)vs RK Krim Mercator W41:30 (21:12)@ Dinamo-Sinara L25:33 (12:15)vs HC Leipzig W26:20 (10:9)@ RK Krim Mercator W47:29 (24:12)vs Dinamo-Sinara W28:27 (15:13)

Group Matches results:@ Buducnost L17:23 (9:12)vs Thüringer HC W26:21 (12:10)@ HC Podravka Vegeta W27:26 (13:11)vs HC Podravka Vegeta W35:25 (15:10)vs Buducnost T24:24 (9:11)@ Thüringer HC L20:21 (12:10)

Top scorers:Andrea Penezic 89 goalsAndrea Lekic 51Jovanka Radicevic 51Siraba Dembele 42Barbara Lazovic-Varlec 34

Nations represented: 9(MKD, GER, RUS, FRA, MNE, SLO, SRB, CRO, ESP)

Multiple EHF Champions League winners:Anja Althaus (2008/09 and 2009/10 Viborg HK)

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Biggest win: 17:35 (10:16) v HC Podravka Vegeta CRO (a), 03.11.2013Biggest defeat: 17:23 (9:12) v Buducnost MNE (a), 19.10.2014Longest winning run: 5 matches (19.10.2013 – 02.02.2014)Longest unbeaten run: 9 matches (06.10.2013 – 15.02.2014)Longest losing run: 2 matches (22.11.2014 - 30.1.2015)Longest run without win: 3 matches (16.11.2014 - 30.1.2015)Most goals: 47 v RK Krim Mercator SLO 47:29W (a), 06.03.2015Most goals opponent: 33 v Dinamo-Sinara RUS 33:25L (a), 15.02.2015Most goals both teams: 76 v RK Krim Mercator SLO 47:29W (a), 06.03.2015Fewest goals: 17 v Buducnost MNE 17:23 (a), 19.10.2014Fewest goals opponent: 17 v HC Podravka Vegeta CRO 17:35W (a), 03.11.2013Fewest goals both teams: 40 v Buducnost MNE 17:23 (a), 19.10.2014



2013/14 WHC Vardar SCBT MKD 14 9 3 2 393:333 +60 21 Third Place

Total 14 9 3 2 393:333 +60 21

Vardar in domestic competitions (as of 7 May 2015)

Throughout the whole season Vardar easily strode towards the third Macedonian championship title in as many years. They do not take part in this season of the WRHL regional league, so the domestic top division has been the only competition they have been playing be-sides the EHF Champions League.

None of their five opponents in the league was able to steal some points from the defending champions as Vardar won all 17 matches up until now. Leading by 15 points ahead of their city rivals WHC Metalurg with three rounds to play they have already clinched the top position and their third title just a few days before the MVM EHF FINAL4.

They will take part in the final tournament of the Macedonian Cup on 17/18 May in Skopje.

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No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Goals23 Andrea Penezic CRO Left Back 13.11.1985 Zagreb, CRO 186 7677 Andrea Lekic SRB Centre Back 6.9.1987 Beograd, SRB 178 434 Jovanka Radicevic MNE Right Wing 23.10.1986 Podgorica, MNE 170 3917 Siraba Dembele FRA Left Wing 28.6.1986 Dreux, FRA 172 3815 Barbara Lazovic-Varlec SLO Right Back 4.1.1988 Brezice, SLO 183 2919 Maja Sokac CRO Left Wing 30.5.1982 Split, CRO 178 2430 Alena Ikhneva RUS Left Back 30.7.1995 Orenburg, RUS 183 2314 Julija Nikolic MKD Centre Back 20.4.1983 Ternovka, UKR 178 1820 Anja Althaus GER Line Player 3.9.1982 Magdeburg 175 18 25 Olga Chernoivanenko RUS Right Wing 17.4.1989 Samarsk, RUS 175 1622 Andrea Klikovac MNE Right Back 5.5.1991 Podgorica, MNE 175 105 Simona Stojanovska MKD Centre Back 20.3.1997 Skopje, MKD 175 271 Tatiana Khmyrova RUS Right Back 6.2.1990 Volgograd, RUS 178 296 Itana Grbic MNE Left Wing 1.9.1996 Podgorica, MNE 169 118 Begona Fernandez Molinos ESP Line Player 22.3.1980 Vigo, ESP 180 10 Sara Mitova MKD Left Back 5.10.1996 Skopje, MKD 172 9 Ivana Gakidova MKD Line Player 27.2.1995 Skopje, MKD 180 2 Robertina Mechevska MKD Line Player 16.11.1984 Struga, MKD 172 1 Dragana Petkovska MKD Goalkeeper 12.6.1996 Skopje, MKD 174 31 Inna Suslina RUS Goalkeeper 5.1.1979 Tashkent, RUS 184 12 Amandine Leynaud FRA Goalkeeper 2.5.1986 Aubenas, FRA 178

Team roster


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Indira Kastratoviccoach• in her second coaching season led Vardar to their historical third place at the first women’s FINAL4

• her greatest success as a player achieved with Kometal, for whom she played twice in the CL final, winning the title in 2002

• in 1997 she was the top scorer of the WCh with 71 goals as part of the Macedonian team

• in 2006 she retired as a player and concentrated her attention on coaching youth players

Inna Suslinagoalkeeper• former Russia national team player graduated from the University RGPU Rostov Don as a teacher

• Vardar is her second stint outside of Russia – she previously spent four seasons with GOG in Denmark

• has twice been voted in All-Star teams – at the EHF EURO 2006 and the WCh 2009

• as team captain led the team to the bronze medal at the first edition of the FINAL4 in 2014

Anja Althausline player• first German player to play in FYR Macedonia.

• switched from being a designer in advertising to a hairdresser, and is known as stylist to her teammates in both her club and national team

• two EHF Champions League titles with Viborg (2009, 2010)

• one of the most famous German players with over 200 caps for Germany and more than 500 goals

Andrea Lekiccentre back• competed in karate and reached blue belt before moving on to ball sports including volleyball, basketball, football and tennis

• voted the 2013 World Handball Player of the Year

• All-Star Team at the EHF EURO 2012.

• organises her own handball camp every other year

Andrea Penezicleft back• in the summer of 2014 signed a 1+1 year contract

• raised the Slovenian title and cup four times with Krim Mercator

• best left back in the All-Star Team at the WCh 2011

• played also for Lokomotiva and Podravka

• Croatian player of the year six consecutive times

Siraba Dembeleleft wing• French left wing signed with Vardar ahead of last season and played an important role in the team in 2013/14, scoring 35 goals

• Vardar is the seventh team in her career – she previously played for five different French teams and spent one season with Danish club Randers

• captain of the France national team

• extended her contract with Vardar until 2016

Jovanka Radicevicright wing• as the daughter of a handball player, started playing handball at the age of 12

• best right wing at the EHF EURO 2012 when she won the championship with Montenegro

• in 2013 she won the CL title with Györ.

• with Buducnost, she won seven championships and cup titles in Montenegro (2005-2011), two regional league titles (2010, 2011) and two titles in the Cup Winners’ Cup (2006, 2010)

Barbara Lazovic-Varlecright back• arrived from Krim together with Andrea Penezic in the summer of 2014

• before she joined Vardar she played only for Krim besides a year-long stint in Zaječar, Serbia

• married to Vuk Lazović, a handball player from Serbia

• contemplated a switch to Serbia, but remained loyal to the Slovenian national team

• expected to share more time with Tatiana Khmyrova who is back after a long injury

EC trophies: CL 2002 (as player) EC trophies: EHF Cup 2002OG: S 2004, WCh: G 2001, 2007, 2009, EHF EURO: S 2006, B 2008

EC trophies: CL 2009, 2010WCh: B 2007, Junior WCh: B 2001

EC trophies: CL 2013WCh: S 2013

WCh: S 2009, 2011, EHF EURO B 2006

EC trophies: CL 2013, Cup Winners’ Cup 2006, 2010OG: S 2012, EURO: G 2012

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Amandine Leynaudgoalkeeper• played the CL for seven years straight with the club she began handball with, Metz

• moved to Valcea, Romania in 2012, where she suffered a knee injury

• in her second season with Vardar, she’s back in full form looking forward to her second FINAL4 with the Macedonian team

• with the experience she has gained over the years with the French national team, she will be one of the key elements for her team’s success

Maja Sokacleft wing• started her career in Sinj and at the age of 14 joined Split Kaltenberg – team that competed in first Croatian league

• with Podravka Koprivnica won the Croatian championship seven times and added one gold and two silver medals in the Regional League

• spent one season each in Lokomotiva Zagreb and Itxako and two years in Zajecar, Serbia

• shares playing time with Siraba Dembele

Tatiana Khmyrovaright back• it only took one season for ‘Tata’, who can play all three back positions, to conquer the hearts of fans in Skopje

• made her debut for the Russia national team in FYR Macedonia at EHF EURO 2008, eventually claiming the bronze medal

• played eight seasons for her first team, Dinamo Volgograd, winning three Russian titles

• missed almost the whole season due to injury

Begona Fernandezline player• decided to move to the Balkans in 2012 after winning the Spanish championship several times

• before her arrival in FYR Macedonia, she only had positive impressions of the country thanks to a silver medal with the national team at EHF EURO 2008

• part of the All-star team of this championship and at the 2009 WCh in her position

• missed most of the season including EHF EURO 2014 due to injury

Julija Nikoliccentre back• started her career in Galychanka, Ukraine

• played with Kometal for six years and won the Macedonian league in every season

• during this period, in the 2004/05 season, she played in the EHF Champions League Final and took Macedonian citizenship

• among the top scorers at EHF EURO 2008

• played also for Podravka, Uskudar, Zvezda and Arvor 29

Alena Ikhneva left back• first started tennis at the age of nine but soon switched to handball

• arrived from Lada at the beginning of the 2014/15 season together with Olga Chenoivanenko

• earned two gold and one silver medal with Russia at the younger age categories tournaments

• in her debut season in European competition she won the EHF Cup and in addition has one silver medal from the Russian Championship

Olga Chernoivanenkoright wing• first started gymnastics but moved to handball at the age of 10

• transferred to Vardar after she spent a decade in Lada where she won the Russian championship once and also added two silver and two bronze medals

• also reached the CL final in the 2007/08 season and EHF Cup final in the 2011/12 season

• from 2010 plays for the Russian national team and took part in the Beijing Olympics

Andrea Klikovacright back• as a young girl filled her album with photos of her idol Bojana Popovic and dreamed to be alongside her

• received personal congratulations from Popovic after Montenegro won EHF EURO 2012

• considered as one Montenegro’s best young players

• one of the youngest players in Vardar, but has been at the club longer than many of the current squad

EC trophies: EHF Cup 2008WCh: G 2009, EURO: B 2008, Youth WCh: G 2008

OG: B 2012, EURO: S 2008, 2014

EC trophies: EHF Cup 2014EC trophies: CL 2011EHF EURO: G 2010, 2014


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Reinforced by the return of talismanic right back Katarina Bulatovic after her two-year exile, Buducnost cruised through the the whole competition dropping so far only one point in the process.

With her lethal shooting, Bulatovic added bite in attack as Buducnost continued to rely on a squad packed with talent as well as experience, boasting a pair of world class players in almost every position. While Bulatovic was the driving force of the team that won the EHF Champions League 2012 title, new signings which arrived during her absence, such as Poland’s Kinga Byzdra and Romania’s top player Cristina Neagu, have provided a welcome share of the workload at both ends of the court.

Buducnost remain one of the favourites to win Europe’s premier club competition despite their line player Suzana Lazovic suffering a serious ankle injury in a regional league match against Macedonian rivals HC Metalurg. Experienced campaigners Majda Mehmedovic, Milena Knezevic, Radmila Petrovic and Biljana Pavicevic have ensured a smooth ride into the MVM EHF FINAL4.

Towering Serbian pivot Dragana Cvijic and rock-solid Croatian goalkeeper Marta Zderic add options at both ends of the court, making Buducnost a team with an almost impregnable defence and a fearsome attack. In the two quarter-final matches against Viborg they conceded only 41 goals.

Unbeaten this season last year’s finalist also earned some impressive victories also in the main round with up to a 19-goal-difference as in their home match against RK Krim Mercator.

Buducnost (MNE)

Club Address:BuducnostIvana Milutinovica B.B.81000 PodgoricaMontenegro

Media contact:Milos Pavicevic+382 682 226 [email protected] / [email protected]

Online information:Website: www.zrkbuducnost.comFacebook: ZrkBuducnost

Playing hallS.C. MoračaStr. Ivana Milutinovića b.b.81000 PodgoricaMontenegroCapacity: 5,000

Kit colours

LightPlayer shirt: whitePlayer short: blueGoalkeeper shirt: blue

DarkPlayer shirt: bluePlayer short: blueGoalkeeper shirt: green

Past achievements

Women’s EHF Champions LeagueParticipations (including 2014/15 season): 19Winners (1): 2011/12Runners-up (1): 2013/14Semi-final (6): 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2010/11Main Round (1): 2012/13Quarter-final (2): 2002/03, 2003/04Last 16 (1): 1995/96Group Matches (6): 1996/97, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2009/10

OtherCup Winners Cup: Winners 2005/06, 2009/10

Montenegrin league: 26 titles (1985,1989,1990,1992-2014)Montenegrin cup: 19 titles

Quarter-final results:@ Viborg W28:22 (13:11)vs Viborg W29:19 (14:11)

Main Round results:@ Dinamo-Sinara W25:18 (12:11)vs HC Leipzig W28:21 (16:7)@ RK Krim Mercator W23:20 (16:8)vs Dinamo-Sinara W26:18 (13:9)@ HC Leipzig W32:19 (15:6) vs RK Krim Mercator W39:20 (19:8)

Group Matches results:vs WHC Vardar SCBT W23:17 (12:9)@ HC Podravka Vegeta W32:27 (18:14)@ Thüringer HC W27:22 (16:11)vs Thüringer HC W23:14 (11:6)@ WHC Vardar SCBT T24:24 (11:9)vs HC Podravka Vegeta W32:26 (15:13)

Top scorers:Cristina Neagu 92 goalsKatarina Bulatovic 53Radmila Petrovic 48Dragana Cvijic 45Majda Mehmedovic 40

Nations represented: 7(MNE, ROU, POL, DEN, SRB, GER, CRO)

Multiple EHF Champions League winners: Katarina Bulatovic (2006/07 Slagelse, 2011/12 Buducnost, 2013/14 Györ)

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Biggest win: 39:20 (19:8) v RK Krim Mercator SLO (h), 15.03.2015Biggest defeat: 36:21 (18:11) v Viborg HK DEN (a), 19.01.1997Longest winning run: 9 matches (23.11.2014 – 12.04.2015)Longest unbeaten run: 14 matches (19.10.2014 – 12.04.2015)Longest losing run: 7 matches (21.02.2004 – 30.01.2005)Longest run without win: 7 matches (21.02.2004 – 30.01.2005)Most goals: 40 v RK Krim Mercator SLO 36:40W (a), 04.03.2011Most goals opponent: 40 v Mar El Osito L’Eliana ESP 26:40L (h), 05.04.1998Most goals both teams: 76 v RK Krim Mercator SLO 40:36W (a), 04.03.2011Fewest goals: 16 v Dunaferr SE HUN 16:18L (h), 06.02.2005 16 v Larvik NOR 28:16L (a), 16.03.2013Fewest goals opponent: 14 v Thüringer HC GER 23:14W (h), 9.11.2014Fewest goals both teams: 34 v Dunaferr SE HUN 16:18L (h), 06.02.2005


1996/97 Buducnost Podgorica YUG 6 2 2 2 130:143 –13 6 3rd Gr. A

1997/98 Buducnost Podgorica YUG 10 5 1 4 292:305 –13 11 1/2-finals

1998/99 Buducnost Podgorica YUG 10 8 1 1 297:238 +59 17 1/2-finals

1999/00 Buducnost Podgorica YUG 10 5 2 3 287:274 +13 12 1/2-finals

2000/01 Bud. Brillant Podgorica YUG 10 5 3 2 265:246 +19 13 1/2-finals

2001/02 Bud. Brillant Podgorica YUG 10 5 2 3 297:277 +20 12 1/2-finals

2002/03 RK Buducnost MONET YUG 8 4 0 4 215:216 -1 8 1/4-finals

2003/04 RK Buducnost MONET SCG 8 4 0 4 209:219 –10 8 1/4-finals

2004/05 ZRK Buducnost MONET SCG 6 1 0 5 141:165 –24 2 4th Gr. A

2005/06 ZRK Buducnost MONET SCG 6 3 0 3 150:154 -4 6 3rd Gr. C

2006/07 ZRK Buducnost T-Mobile MNE 6 0 0 6 141:174 -33 0 4th Gr. B

2007/08 Buducnost T-Mobile MNE 6 1 1 4 153:189 –36 3 3rd Gr. D

2008/09 Buducnost T-Mobile MNE 12 6 2 4 317:326 -9 14 3rd MR Gr. 2

2009/10 Buducnost T-Mobile MNE 6 2 1 3 138:155 -17 5 3rd Gr. D

2010/11 ‘Buducnost’ MNE 14 10 0 4 417:360 +57 20 1/2-finals

2011/12 Buducnost MNE 16 14 0 2 453:385 +68 28 Winner

2012/13 Buducnost MNE 12 5 1 6 265:273 -8 11 3rd MR Gr. 1

2013/14 Buducnost MNE 14 8 3 3 349:298 +51 19 Runner-up

Total 170 88 19 63 4516:4397 +119 195

Buducnost in domestic competitions (as of 7 May 2015)

There is no doubt in Montenegro who will take the league throne again this season. The first part of the Montenegrin top division was played by five teams without the perennial champions who could focus only on their performances in the EHF Champions League and the regional Balkan league.

Buducnost joined the top two teams of the preliminary round (Lev-alea 2010 and Danilovgrad) in the spring and after two rounds they are leading with maximum points and impressive goal difference (73:31).

In the WRHL regional league they romped into the final tournament (23/24 May) after having won all their matches in the main round.

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No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Goals8 Cristina Neagu ROU Left Back 26.8.1988 Bucharest, ROU 180 8232 Katarina Bulatovic MNE Right Back 15.11.1984 Kragujevac, SRB 186 4172 Dragana Cvijic SRB Line Player 15.3.1990 Beograd, SRB 184 392 Radmila Petrovic MNE Right Wing 19.4.1988 Niksic, MNE 175 38 88 Biljana Pavicevic MNE Left Wing 12.5.1988 Podgorica, MNE 169 33 77 Majda Mehmedovic MNE Left Wing 25.5.1990 Bar, MNE 170 3290 Milena Knezevic MNE Centre Back 12.3.1990 Podgorica, MNE 176 2489 Kinga Byzdra POL Back 9.1.1989 Pulawy, POL 182 1220 Camilla Dalby DEN Right Back 15.5.1988 Randers, DEN 178 11 66 Ema Ramusovic MNE Line Player 28.11.1996 Berane, MNE 185 780 Jelena Despotovic MNE Left Back 30.4.1994 Podgorica, MNE 180 614 Zeljka Nikolic SRB Right Wing 12.7.1991 Priboj, SRB 164 6 92 Suzana Lazovic MNE Line Player 28.1.1992 Podgorica, MNE 177 239 Nina Bulatovic MNE Right Wing 9.12.1996 Cetinje, MNE 171 30 Marina Rajcic MNE Goalkeeper 24.8.1993 Podgorica, MNE 175 16 Clara Woltering GER Goalkeeper 2.3.1983 Münster, GER 178 143 Marta Zderic CRO Goalkeeper 20.4.1990 Metkovic, CRO 184

Team roster

Buducnost (MNE)

33

Dragan Adziccoach• retired due to injury in 1998

• almost a decade was an assistant to many coaches in Buducnost

• became head coach in 2010

• in 2012 won the CL in May with Buducnost and EHF EURO in December with Montenegro

• met his wife Timea after she came to the club as an interpreter to former coach, Hungarian Gyula Zsiga

Marta Zdericgoalkeeper• playing her ninth consecutive CL season, and her second with Buducnost, after she moved from Podravka in 2013

• started as a back, but soon she moved into goal

• in Buducnost she chose number 43, the decision to use that unusual number for a goalkeeper was made by her niece Lara

• despite an early exit at the EHF EURO 2014 on home court in Varazdin she has had an impressive season in the Buducnost goal so far

Dragana Cvijicline player• started handball at the age of 10, first as goalkeeper, but being very tall for her age, Dragana’s first coach put her at left back

• in 2007 at Crvena Zvezda she switched to a line player

• joined Buducnost in 2011 just in time to help them on the way to the CL title

• Serbian national team player voted the best line player of the WCh 2013

Cristina Neagucentre back• named the World Handball Player of the Year after leading Romania to bronze medals at the EHF EURO 2010

• top scorer (53 goals) and All-Star Team member of the EHF EURO 2010

• missed nearly two of the last four years, after a shoulder injury and a torn ligament in her knee

• lost two EHF Champions League finalist, one with Oltchim (2013) and one with Buducnost (2014)

Milena Knezevicleft back• started playing handball with her sister Dragana, her brother Ivan is a professional soccer player

• at 2012 EHF EURO first in assists (29) and shared second place in scoring with Anita Görbicz (41 goals)

• two-time Montenegrin player of the year

• voted second best young player of the CL in 2012

Majda Mehmedovicleft wing• her mother played handball as a goalkeeper

• started handball in Bar at the age of 12 with her brother Musa and immediately loved it

• it took her two years to get into the first team after being signed by Buducnost

• voted for the 2013/14 CL All-Star Team as the best left wing

Radmila Petrovicright wing• started training handball at 12, in her home town of Nikšić, where she played for five years as a right back

• when transferred to Buducnost in 2005, she was moved to the wing

• strong alternative to Jovanka Radicevic in Montenegro national team

• in 2014 she won her 100th cap with Montenegro

Katarina Bulatovicright back• Serbia-born shooter arrived to Buducnost in 2014 after one-year stints with Oltchim and Györ

• made it to the CL final for the first time in 2007 with Slagelse

• won the CL title with three different clubs - Slagelse, Buducnost and Györ

• key player in Montenegro’s biggest achievements, when she was the top scorer at both the London Olympics and EHF EURO in 2012

EC trophies: CL 2012, Cup Winners’ Cup 2010 OG: S 2012, EHF EURO: G 2012

EC trophies: CL 2012WCh: S 2013

EHF EURO: B 2010

EC trophies: CL 2012, Cup Winners’ Cup 2010OG: S 2012, EHF EURO: G 2012



EC trophies: CL 2007, 2012, 2014, Cup Winners’ Cup 2010OG: S 2012, EHF EURO: G 2012

34

Clara Wolteringgoalkeeper• her fourth season at Buducnost, third as the captain, is also her last one

• first saw handball at the age of 5, when she went to watch her older sisters and impressed their coach

• very superstitious in the past, for a long time she banned her parents from watching her play, thinking it was bad luck and at one stage wore a cap during matches to bring her luck

• voted for the 2013/14 CL All-Star Team as the best goalkeeper

Marina Rajcicgoalkeeper• made a debut in Buducnost’s goal at only 16

• named best goalkeeper of the tournament at 2010 Junior World Championship in South Korea, where she won a bronze medal with Montenegro

• the youngest participant at the Olympic handball tournament in London in 2012 (18 years)

• her sister Olivera plays as a right wing for Metz, where Marina will transfer after this season

• voted best young player of Montenegro in 2010

Suzana Lazovicline player• missed most of this season due to injury

• her first choice was judo, during rehabilitation period, due to back surgery, later archery, but Dragan Adzic persuaded her to stick with handball

• made her CL debut on 1 November 2008 against Spanish side Elda, when she was only 16

• voted Montenegro’s best young player 2008 and 2009

Kinga Byzdraback• the third Polish player in Buducnost’s history, after Monika Marzec and Izabela Puchacz, who played in Podgorica from 2003 to 2005

• her mother Malgorzata played handball for Montex Lublin and Zaglebie Lubin

• with Zaglebie Lubin she won a Polish title in 2011 and three Polish cups in 2009, 2011 and 2013, when she scored 14 goals in the final

• named Poland’s best player in 2012

Jelena Despotovicleft back• her mother first took her to ballet lessons, but she soon after switched hanball at the age of 11

• joined the first team of Buducnost in 2012, will transfer to Debrecen, Hungary in the summer

• won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championship in South Korea in 2010

• in 2011 & 2012 named best young Montenegrin player

Biljana Pavicevic left wing• at 2008 Women’s Junior World Championship suffered a severe knee injury followed by two operations, two years of rehabilitation, and two seasons playing in Biseri and Macedonian side Zito Prilep

• at the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia stepped in for the game against Hungary and played very well the rest of the tournament, won by Montenegro at the end

• graduated with a degree in Economics

Ema Ramusovicline player• playing her first senior season with Buducnost

• started hanball at the age of 10 in her hometown Berane; moved to Buducnost in 2010

• started as left back, but her coach in youth national team legendary Maja Savic, put her on the line in August 2013, following Ema’s knee surgery

• best player at 2012 youth Mediterranean Championship in Eilat – Israel (Montenegro won a silver medal)

• made her debut for senior team in EHF EURO 2014 Qualification in Czestochowa against Poland

Camilla Dalbyright back• first Dane in Buducnost’s history

• started with handball at four, her mother played handball, and later was her coach at Spentrup IF, where Camilla’s father was president of the club

• won a title in Denmark with Randers HK in 2012

• will return to Randers this summer

• made her debut for the national team in October 2007 and was named best national team player in 2011/2012

EC trophies: CL 2012, Cup Winners’ Cup 2010OG: S 2012, EURO: G 2012

EHF EURO: G 2012

EC trophies: CL 2012, Challenge Cup 2005WCh: B 2007

EC trophies: EHF Cup 2010WCh: B 2013

EC trophies: CL 2012, Cup Winners’ Cup 2010OG: S 2012, EURO: G 2012

35

Buducnost vs Larvik 4-1-7 (265:283) 9:15 08.11.1997 Buducnost Podgorica vs Larvik HK, EHF Champions League – Group C 27:26 (10:13) 24.01.1998 Larvik HK vs Buducnost Podgorica, EHF Champions League – Group C 32:29 (20:8) 24.10.2009 Buducnost T-Mobile vs Larvik HK, EHF Champions League – Group D 23:27 (10:16) 10.01.2010 Larvik HK vs Buducnost T-Mobile, EHF Champions League – Group D 29:22 (15:8) 09.04.2011 Larvik vs ‘Buducnost’, EHF Champions League – Semi-final 25:20 (13:10) 17.04.2011 ‘Buducnost’ vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Semi-final 24:27 (10:15) 31.03.2012 Larvik vs Buducnost, EHF Champions League – Semi-final 20:22 (12:12) 08.04.2012 Buducnost vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Semi-final 23:13 (10:7) 10.02.2013 Buducnost vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 1 18:20 (9:8) 16.03.2013 Larvik vs Buducnost, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 1 28:16 (13:5) 16.02.2014 Buducnost vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 2 19:19 (8:7) 01.03.2014 Larvik vs Buducnost, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 2 17:22 (8:9)

Buducnost vs Dinamo-Sinara 5-2-3 (258:241) 12:8 30.10.1999 Volgograd AKVA vs Buducnost Podgorica, EHF Champions League – Group C 34:29 (16:14) 19.02.2000 Buducnost Podgorica vs Volgograd AKVA, EHF Champions League – Group C 29:20 (12:8) 13.01.2001 Bud. Brillant Podgorica vs Volgograd AKVA, EHF Champions League – Group A 22:22 (10:9) 27.01.2001 Volgograd AKVA vs Bud. Brillant Podgorica, EHF Champions League – Group A 25:24 (16:9) 01.11.2009 HC Dinamo vs Buducnost T-Mobile, EHF Champions League – Group D 31:18 (16:9) 14.11.2009 Buducnost T-Mobile vs HC Dinamo, EHF Champions League – Group D 24:24 (9:12) 09.10.2010 ‘Buducnost’ vs Dinamo, EHF Champions League – Group A 29:22 (15:11) 14.11.2010 Dinamo vs ‘Buducnost’, EHF Champions League – Group A 27:32 (14:15) 31.01.2015 Dinamo-Sinara vs Buducnost, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 1 18:25 (11:12) 01.03.2015 Buducnost vs Dinamo-Sinara, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 1 26:18 (13:9)

Larvik vs WHC Vardar SCBT 0-1-1 (56:58) 1:3 11.10.2013 WHC Vardar SCBT vs Larvik, EHF Champions League – Group D 27:27 (12:15) 16.11.2013 Larvik vs WHC Vardar SCBT, EHF Champions League – Group D 29:31 (15:15)

Dinamo-Sinara vs WHC Vardar SCBT 1-0-1 (60:53) 2:2 15.02.2015 Dinamo-Sinara vs WHC Vardar SCBT, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 1 33:25 (15:12) 14.03.2015 WHC Vardar SCBT vs Dinamo-Sinara, EHF Champions League – Main Round Group 1 28:27 (15:13)

Potential head-to-head stats in the EC competitions

36

Top scorers after quarter-finals

Rank Player Club Goals

1 Cristina Georgiana Neagu (ROU) Buducnost (MNE) 922 Andrea Penezic (CRO) WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD) 893 Anna Kochetova (RUS) Dinamo-Sinara (RUS) 864 Karolina Kudlacz (POL) HC Leipzig (GER) 84

Nora Mørk (NOR) Larvik (NOR) 84

6 Olga Akopian (RUS) Dinamo-Sinara (RUS) 76

7 Ida Oden (SWE) IK Sävehof (SWE) 74

8 Ana Gros (SLO) Metz Handball (FRA) 73

Tamara Mavsar (SLO) RK Krim Mercator (SLO) 73

10 Nadja Nadgornaja (GER) Thüringer HC (GER) 72

11 Heidi Loke (NOR) Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) 68

Linn-Kristin Koren Riegelhuth (NOR) Larvik (NOR) 68

Rikke Skov Erhardsen (DEN) Viborg HK A/S (DEN) 68

14 Katrin Engel (AUT) Thüringer HC (GER) 66

15 Aniko Kovacsics (HUN) Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) 65

Daria Dmitrieva (RUS) Dinamo-Sinara (RUS) 65

17 Mirjeta Bajramoska (MKD) RK Krim Mercator (SLO) 59

18 Jenny Alm (SWE) IK Sävehof (SWE) 56

19 Katarina Bulatovic (MNE) Buducnost (MNE) 53

20 Saskia Lang (GER) HC Leipzig (GER) 52

21 Isabelle Gulldén (SWE) Viborg HK A/S (DEN) 51

Andrea Lekic (SRB) WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD) 51

Jovanka Radicevic (MNE) WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD) 51

24 Alexandra Do Nascimento (BRA) HCM Baia Mare (ROU) 50

(Bold text indicates players that are still active in the competition.)

37

Scorers of the 2014 MVM EHF FINAL4

Rank Player Club Goals

1 Nycke Groot FCM 202 Anita Görbicz Györ 143 Cristina Neagu Buducnost 134 Andrea Lekic Vardar 11

Stine Jörgensen FCM 11

6 Julija Nikolic Vardar 9

Dragana Cvijic Buducnost 9

Eduarda Amorim Györ 9

9 Camilla Dalby Buducnost 8

10 Allison Pineau Vardar 7

Jovanka Radicevic Vardar 7

Aniko Kovacsics Györ 7

Katarina Bulatovic Györ 7

Heidi Loke Györ 7

Trine Ostergaard Jensen FCM 7

16 Majda Mehmedovic Buducnost 6

Adrienn Orban Györ 6

18 Siraba Dembele Vardar 5

Tatiana Khmyrova Vardar 5

Susan Torp Thorsgaard FCM 5

21 Ana Djokic Vardar 4

Bernadett Bognar-Bodi Györ 4

Laerke Möller FCM 4

24 Radmila Petrovic Buducnost 3

Trine Troelsen FCM 3

Linne Jörgensen FCM 3

27 Maja Sokac (Zebic) Vardar 2

Andrea Klikovac Vardar 2

Begona Fernandez Vardar 2

Milena Knezevic Buducnost 2

Kinga Byzdra Buducnost 2

Fie Woller FCM 2

Dorina Korsos Györ 2

Kristina Sommer FCM 2

(Bold text indicates players that are part of the 2015 MVM EHF FINAL4.)

38

Past Winners - Clubs

1994 Hypo Niederösterreich AUT


1996 Podravka Koprivnica CRO

1997 Mar El Osito L Eliana Valencia ESP


1999 Dunaferr SE HUN


2001 RK Krim Neutro Roberts SLO

2002 Kometal D.P. Skopje MKD

2003 Krim ETA Kotex Ljubljana SLO

2004 Slagelse FH DEN


2006 Viborg A/S DEN


2008 Zvezda Zvenigorod RUS

2009 Viborg A/S DEN

2010 Viborg A/S DEN

2011 Larvik HK NOR

2012 Buducnost Podgorica MNE

2013 Gyõri Audi ETO KC HUN

2014 Gyõri Audi ETO KC HUN

39

Past Winners - Individuals

Montenegrin right back Katarina Bulatovic is the only player involved in the 2015 edition of the MVM EHF FINAL4 with the opportunity to defend her Champions League title.

After raising the trophy with Györi Audi ETO KC in May 2014, she went back to her roots in Buducnost.

Bulatovic is now the only 2014 Champions League winner to be back in Budapest on 9/10 May, as defending champions Györ did not qualify.

At the FINAL4 2015 Bulatovic can also become the first ever player in the Women’s EHF Champions League to win her individual fourth trophy with three clubs. The left-handed shooter took the title with Danish club Slagelse (2007) and Buducnost in 2012 before celebrating the victory as part of the Györ squad.

The second multiple Women’s EHF Champions League winner on court in Budapest will be German line player Anja Althaus. She raised the trophy twice with Viborg HK (DEN) in 2009 and 2010.

Althaus signed with WHC Vardar SCBT at the start of this season and has the chance to become the first female German player to win the EHF

Champions League with two different clubs.

Off the court, former star Bojana Popovic also has some impressive statistics. She is one of one of only two women that have won the EHF Champions League six times. The other is Ausra Fridrikas.

Vardar coach Indira Kastratovic can also make history in Budapest: if her team win the title on 10 May she will become the first female in handball to win the EHF Champions league as a player (2002 with Kometal D.P. Skopje) and as a coach.

Only one man has done it: Talant Dujshebaev, who won the title as a player with Santander (1995) and as a coach with Ciudad Real (2006, 2008, 2009).

In addition to Bulatovic and Althaus, there are 17 players that have won the EHF Champions League trophy once before that will be on court in Budapest – two from the Vardar squad, eight from Buducnost and seven from Larvik.

Dinamo Sinara is the only FINAL4 participant without a former EHF Champions League winner in their squad.

EHF Champions League Winners at the 2015 MVM EHF FINAL

Buducnost (9):

Dragana Cvijic (Buducnost 2012)Milena Knezevic (Buducnost 2012)Suzana Lazovic (Buducnost 2012)Majda Mehmedovic (Buducnost 2012)Radmila Petrovic (Buducnost 2012)Zeljka Nikolic (Buducnost 2012)Clara Woltering (Buducnost 2012)Marina Rajcic (Buducnost 2012)Katarina Bulatovic (3) (Slagelse 2007) (Buducnost 2012) (Györ 2014) Larvik (7):

Karoline Breivang (Larvik 2011)Gro Hammerseng-Edin (Larvik 2011)Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren (Larvik 2011)Tonje Larsen (Larvik 2011)Nora Mørk (Larvik 2011)Thea Mørk (Larvik 2011)Linn Sulland (Larvik 2011) Vardar (3):

Andrea Lekic (Györ 2013)Jovanka Radicevic (Györ 2013)Anja Althaus (2) (Viborg 2009) (Viborg 2010)

Dinamo Sinara: none

6 titles with 2 clubs:Ausra Fridrikas (Hypo 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, Slagelse 2004, 2005)

6 titles with 3 clubs:Bojana Popovic (Slagelse 2004, 2005, 2007, Viborg 2009, 2010, Buducnost 2012)

4 titles with 1 club:Rima Sypkus (Hypo 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000)Tanja Dshandshagava (Hypo 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000)

4 titles with 2 clubs:Katrine Lunde (Viborg 2009, 2010, Györ 2013, 2014)

3 titles with 1 club:Chao Zhai (Viborg 2006, 2009, 2010)Cristina Varzaru (Viborg 2006, Viborg 2009, 2010)Grit Jurack (Viborg 2006, 2009, 2010)

Lene Lund-Nielsen (Viborg 2006, 2009, 2010)Rikke Skov (Viborg 2006, 2009, 2010)Louise Bager-Norgaard (Viborg 2006, 2009, 2010)Iris Morhammer (Hypo 1994, 1995, 2000)Stanca Bozovic (Hypo 1995, 1998, 2000)Mette Melgaard (Slagelse 2004, 2005, 2007)

3 titles with 2 clubs:Anja Freser (Krim 2001, 2003, Slagelse 2004)Luminita Hutupan (Dinu) (Krim 2001, Skopje 2002, Krim 2003)Cecilie Leganger (Slagelse 2005, 2007, Larvik 2011)Maja Savic (Slagelse 2005, 2007, 2012)Heidi Løke (Larvik 2011, Györ 2013, 2014)

3 titles with 3 clubs:Katarina Bulatovic (Slagelse 2007, Buducnost 2012, Györ 2014)

42 players with 2 titles

Multiple EHF Champions League winners

40

All-time club standings 1993 - 2015# TR Name of the club MP W D L GF:GA GD P NP % S

1 1 Hypo Niederösterreich AUT 192 124 5 63 5150:4795 +355 252*:132 (22) 65,63% G

2 2 Buducnost MNE 184 101 20 63 4907:4684 +223 222:146 (19) 60,33% SF

3 3 RK Krim Mercator SLO 196 102 10 84 5324:5154 +170 214:178 (19) 54,59% M

4 4 Györi Audi ETO KC HUN 140 97 10 33 3912:3474 +438 204:76 (11) 72,86% QF

5 5 Larvik NOR 160 97 8 55 4298:3907 +391 202:118 (16) 63,13% SF

6 6 Viborg HK DEN 164 87 12 65 4565:4323 +242 186:142 (17) 56,71% M

7 7 Oltchim Rm. Valcea ROU 118 62 8 48 3148:3005 +143 132:104 (12) 55,93%

8 8 FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria HUN 104 53 7 44 2829:2733 +96 113:95 (13) 54,33% Q

9 9 CBM Astroc Sagunto ESP 100 52 3 45 2658:2582 +76 107:93 (12) 53,50%

10 10 HC Podravka Vegeta CRO 118 50 6 62 3007:3112 -105 106:130 (17) 44,92% G

11 11 Kometal Gjorce Petrov MKD 98 47 6 45 2460:2410 +50 100:96 (12) 51,02%

12 12 Dinamo-Sinara RUS 92 38 9 45 2425:2461 -36 85:99 (11) 46,20% SF

13 13 Slagelse DT DEN 56 38 2 16 1514:1400 +114 78:34 (5) 69,64%

14 14 FC Midtjylland DEN 70 34 5 31 1839:1823 +16 73:67 (7) 52,14% Q

15 15 HC Lada RUS 62 33 2 27 1729:1737 -8 68:56 (7) 54,84%

16 16 Dunaferr NK HUN 52 29 4 19 1395:1285 +110 62:42 (6) 59,62%

17 17 Zvezda Zvenigorod RUS 46 21 3 22 1294:1297 -3 45:47 (5) 48,91%

18 18 Metz Handball FRA 66 18 6 42 1603:1746 –143 42:90 (9) 31,82% M

19 19 MKS Selgros Lublin POL 58 18 5 35 1476:1598 –122 41:75 (9) 35,35% G

20 20 HC Leipzig GER 66 19 3 44 1653:1829 –176 41:91 (8) 31,06% M

21 21 WHC Vardar SCBT MKD 28 17 5 6 783:683 +100 39:17 (2) 69,64% SF

22 23 Thüringer HC GER 38 15 3 20 968:1001 -33 33:43 (4) 43,42% M

23 24 Byasen Trondheim NOR 40 15 3 22 942:1006 –64 33:47 (6) 41,25% Q

24 29 IK Sävehof SWE 42 6 7 29 1106:1279 -173 19:65 (5) 22,62% M

25 30 HCM Baia Mare ROU 20 9 0 11 510:532 -22 18:22 (2) 45,00% QF

26 50 HC Lokomotiva Zagreb CRO 6 0 2 4 132:164 -32 2:10 (1) 16,67% G

BNTU-BelAZ Minsk Reg. BLR 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0:0 (0) 0,00% Q

SERCODAK Dalfsen NED 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0:0 (0) 0,00% Q

WHC Radnicki Kragujevac 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0:0 (0) 0,00% Q

* Point for Hypo NÖ deducted by official decision

^ = Excluding Qualifying matchesThe club name is the last used name in Women’s EHF Champions League competitionTR – total rankingMP – matches playedW – winsD – drawsL – lossesGF:GA – goals for:goals againstGD - goal differenceP – pointsNP – number of participations% = winning percentageS - stage reached in the 2014/15 season (SF - semi-final, QF - quarter-final, M - main round, G - group matches, Q - qualification)

All stats in this guide are provided by Roy Knoppert.

41

EHF Champions League history1993 – 2003

1993/94Hypo NIederösterreich vs Vasas Budapest 20:18 / 25:21 (45:39)New name, new playing system, but well-known finalists – just as in the men’s competition the Champions League replaced the Champions Cup from the 1993/94 season. 32 teams played two K.O. rounds for the eight places in the Champions League. The two finalists were the winners of the two groups of four. Hypo Niederösterreich became the first title holder showing a spotless performance with 12 victories from 12 matches.

1994/95Hypo Niederösterreich vs Podravka Koprivnica 14:17 / 26:19 (40:36)After 20 victories in 20 Champions League matches, Hypo Niederösterreich was beaten for the first time in the first leg of the final in Koprivnica. But the 14:17 in Croatia was followed by a clear 26:19 victory in the second leg and the cup remained in Austria.

1995/96Podravka Koprivnica vs Hypo Niederösterreich 13:17 / 25:20 (38:37)In the 1995/96 season Austrian side Hypo Niederösterreich „only” finished second and that created tremendous joy for the Eastern Croatians. Under the leadership of the old and new top scorer, Snežana Petika, Podravka Koprivnica for the first time took the crown of the greatest club competition.

1996/97Mar Valencia vs Viborg HK 35:26 / 23:24 (58:50)In 1997 there was a whole new constellation in the final. Mar Valencia, who had narrowly lost three times in the Champions League Group Phase, celebrated a Spanish fiesta. The team, which was based around the excellent Natalia Morskova, was the first Spanish team in the history of the competition to reach the final. The opponent was Viborg – the first Danish finalist since Copenhagen in 1966 (ed. IHF competition).

1997/98Hypo Niederösterreich vs Mar El Osito L’Eliana 28:21 / 28:26 (56:47) Mar El Osito L’Eliana had reached the final by scoring at least 31 goals per match. They failed to repeat this feat when they needed it most. Hypo Niederösterreich triumphed with two victories, earning their third Champions League title.

1998/99Dunaferr SE vs Krim Electa Ljubljana 25:23 / 26:26 (51:49) Two new faces appeared in the Champions League final in the 1998/99 season. In the semi-finals Dunaferr had beaten defending champion Hypo NIederösterreich while Ljubljana narrowly held the upper hand over Podgorica. In the final it was the Hungarian side that prevailed, winning their first Champions League title.

1999/00Hypo Niederösterreich vs Kometal Skopje 32:23 / 20:22 (52:45)The final of the 1999/00 is less likely to be remembered for Hypo’s fourth title in just four years but more for the violent disruptions caused during the final by Macedonian fans. In the second leg objects had been thrown onto the court for almost the entire match, and the problems reached a climax when everyone fled into the changing rooms and Hypo manager Gunnar Prokop was attacked.

2000/01Viborg HK A/S vs RK Krim N. Roberts Ljubljana 22:22 / 19:25 (41:47)After suffering defeat in the 1999 finals against Dunaferr, the time was finally ripe in 2001 for Krim, Slovenia’s most dominating club whose focus had always been to win the Champions League. In the final Krim prevailed over Viborg thanks to win and a draw.

2001/02FTC HERZ Budapest vs Kometal D. P. Skopje 27:25 / 22:26 (49:51)On 19 May 2002, 45,000 fans people celebrated their heroines enthusiastically in the main square of the Macedonian capital – a great achievement had been made: Kometal Skopje wore the crown of Europe’s top club competition for the first time. Two years before, the Macedonians had played in the finals against Hypo Niederösterreich but after rioting fans during the second leg in Skopje all Macedonian clubs were banned for one year from the European Cup, and no one had expected Macedonian handball to recover that fast from the shock.

2002/03El Osito Valencia vs Krim N. Roberts Ljubljana 30:27 / 28:36 (58:63)For the third time in a row, the Champions League winner came from former Yugoslavia and for the second time after 2001 Krim Ljubljana was sitting on the European throne. Skopje had won the title in 2002. There was also another record: goalkeeper Luminita Dinu won the European title for the third time in a row.

2003/04Slagelse DT vs Krim Ljubljana 25:24 / 36:32 (61:56)In less than four years world class player and world class coach Anja Andersen had led Danish side Slagelse DT out of the second division and straight into their first Champions League season. And just one year after they had already celebrated the win of the EHF Cup, the team was victorious once more – this time in Europe’s most prestigious club handball competition. It was a fairy tale come true.

42

EHF Champions League history2003 – 2014

2004/05Slagelse DT vs Kometal D.P. Skopje 27:23 / 27:20 (54:43)For the second time in the history of the Champions League and after the double victory of Hypo Niederösterreich in 1994 and 1995, a team was able to defend its title. In all twelve Champions League matches, from the Group Phase to the final, coach Anja Andersen’s team suffered only one defeat.

2005/06Krim Ljubljana vs Viborg HK A/S 22:24 / 21:20 (43:44)In the history of the Women’s EHF Champions League that had not happened before. In both final matches of the 2005/06 season the away teams won. It seemed a mere formality for Viborg to lift the trophy following their 24:22 win in Slovenia, but Ljubljana fought back and had one hand on the cup when they led 20:17 in the 52nd minute before running out of steam.

2006/07Slagelse DT vs Lada Togliatti 29:29 / 32:24 (61:53)It was Slagelse’s third go at gold and they did it convincingly. With elite performances both in the Champions League and the Danish league, where they did not lose one single point, Anja Andersen’s women were the favourites for the title – so another success of the “dream team” was not a surprise.

2007/08Zvezda Zvenigorod vs Hypo Niederösterreich 25:24 / 31:29 (56:53)After having beaten Hypo Niederösterreich at home 25:24, the Russian champions were also triumphant in Wiener Neustadt in a very tough second leg. For Hypo it was a big disappointment as everything had been prepared for party at the Arena Nova to celebrated then ninth title since 1989.

2008/09Viborg HK vs Győri AUDI ETO KC 24:26 / 26:23 (50:49)Viborg HK won the Champions League for the second time after having lost the first leg of the final 24:26 but winning the second leg 26:23 against Györ. Viborg’s Grit Jurack contributed four goals in the second match and became the Champions League’s top scorer with 113 goals in the 2008/09 season.

2009/10Viborg HK vs Oltchim Rm. Vâlcea 28:21 / 32:31 (60:52)Viborg HK defeated Oltchim Vâlcea to win the Women’s EHF Champions League for the second consecutive time and the third time in the last five years. Also the Danish dominance continued. Since 2003/2004 all Champions League titles had gone to Danish teams, except for the 2007/2008 season when Russian team Zvezda Zvenigorod celebrated the victory.

2010/11Larvik vs Itxako Reyno De Navarra 23:21 / 24:25 (47:46) In a real nail-biting thriller right until the dying seconds, Itxako defeated Larvik by a single goal in the second leg of the final, but with the aggregate score, the Norwegians were the lucky winners of this clash and brought home the EHF Champions League trophy for the first time in the club’s history.

2011/12Győri AUDI ETO KC vs Budoćnost 29:27 / 25:27 (54:54)Budućnost won the tightest edition of the EHF Women’s Champions League by account of scoring the greater number of away goals (27 in Hungary) than Győri AUDI ETO KC (25 in Montenegro). It was only a small consolation for Győri AUDI ETO KC’s Anita Görbicz who picked up the top scorer for the 2011/12 Women’s EHF Champions League season.

2012/13Larvik HK vs Győri AUDI ETO KC 21:24 / 22:23 (43:47)After losing the finals in 2009 and 2012 Győr finally ended their curse of seven European Cup finals without a trophy. The coronation of the new queens of European handball took place in jam-packed Veszprém Aréna after the second leg victory and carried on in the streets of the city of Győr. The Hungarian team were dominant throughout the whole season as they suffered only one defeat (in the semi-final at home vs Oltchim) in 16 matches.

2013/14Buducnost vs Győri AUDI ETO KC 21:27 (10:15)For the first time in history just one final game decided about the new title holders as Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena hosted the excellent premiere edition of the MVM EHF FINAL4. Györ successfully defended the title after avenging their 2012 defeat by Buducnost in front of a sold-out crowd (10,000). Hungarian champions were the only undefeated team of the season as they won 12 matches and drew twice with Buducnost in the main round. Györ’s captain Anita Görbicz became the season’s top scorer for the second time scoring 87 goals.

QualificationTournamentsTournaments 4 groups with 4 teams 12 teams 8 teams 4 teams

17.‐19.10.2014 (1) 30.01‐01.02.2015 (1)20./21.09.2014 24.‐26.10.2014 (2) 06.‐08.02.2015 (2) 03.‐05.04.2015 09./10.05.2015tournaments 31.10.‐02.11.2014 (3) 13.‐15.02.2015 (3) first leg tournament

played in semi finals 07.‐09.11.2014 (4) 27.02.‐01.03.2015 (4)and finals 14.‐16.11.2014 (5) 06.‐08.03.2015 (5) 10.‐12.04.2015

NATION 21.‐23.11.2014 (6) 13.‐15.03.2015 (6) second leg

1 HUN 1 Györi Audi ETO KC2 MNE 1 WHC Buducnost3 NOR 1 Larvik HK4 SLO 1 RK Krim Ljubljana5 DEN 1 Viborg HK6 ROU 1 HCM Baia Mare7 GER 1 Thüringer HC8 RUS 1 Dinamo‐Sinara Volgograd9 MKD 1 WHC Vardar SCBT10 FRA 1 Metz Handball11 AUT 1 Hypo Niederösterreich12 CRO 1 RK Lokomotiva‐Zagreb13 SWE 1 IK Sävehof14 POL 1 MKS Selgros Lublin15 HUN 2 FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria16 DEN 2 FC Midtjylland17 NOR 2 Byasen Trondheim18 GER 2 HC Leipzig19 CRO 2 HC Podravka Vegeta20 BLR 1 HC BNTU‐BELAz Minsk21 NED 1 Sercodak/Dalfsen22 SRB 1 ZRK Radnicki Kragujevac

WOMEN'S EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2014/15

DRAWS: 26 June 2014 in Vienna 27 June 2014 in Vienna no draw 14 April 2015no draw

Main Round FINAL4QuarterfinalsGroup Matches

2 groups with 4 teams

4th placed teams of CL Qualification Tournaments go to the Cup Winners' Cup Rd 2, 2nd and 3rd placed

teams of CL Qualification Tournaments go to the Cup Winners' Cup Rd 3

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status: 23.06.2014

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45

2015 MVM EHF FINAL4

Media Information

by

EHF Media & Communications, 06/05/2015

Contributors: Björn Pazen, Zoran Milosavljevic, Nemanja Savic, Amina Idrizi, Sasa Joncic, Peter Bruun, all stats by Roy Knoppert

All matches of the MVM EHF FINAL4 shall be played in 2 x 30 minutes with a half-time break of 15 minutes.

If a Semi-final match or the Final (place 1/2) ends in a draw, there will be a five minutes break followed by one extra time of 2 x 5 minutes, there will be a one minute half-time break at half-time for the changeover of teams.

If the placement match 3/4 ends in a draw, there shall be no extratime, the match will be decided directly by penalty throws.

If penalty throws are needed to decide the match, the procedure is as follows:

• Prior to the penalty throws, each team shall name five playerseligible to play at the end of the match by handing the refereesa list of numbers. These players shall then take one throw each,alternating with their opponents. Each team is free to determinethe sequence in which throwers will take their throws.

• The goalkeepers may be freely selected from the matchreport and exchanged in accordance with the Rules of theGame. Goalkeepers may take throws and throwers may performas goalkeepers.

• At the Technical Meeting the teams will be informed at whichgoal the penalty throws will be taken. The team taking the firstpenalty throw shall be determined by the referees by drawing

lots. The team winning the draw may choose whether it wishes tothrow first or last.

• If the scores are equal after the first round of penalty throws, itshall be continued until a decision is reached. In the secondround, the other team shall start. Again five players shall benamed who are eligible to play (the players named before may benamed once again).

• In the second round, a decision is reached when a goal difference arises after both teams have taken one throw each.

• Eligible players are players entered in the match report that have not been disqualified or suspended at the time of the finalwhistle.

• Serious infractions committed during penalty throws shall besanctioned by disqualification. If a thrower is disqualified orsuffers an injury, an eligible substitute player shall besupplementary named.

• While the throws are being taken, only the player taking thethrow, the current goalkeeper and the referees may enter therespective half of the playing court.

• If the number of eligible players falls below five, players may benamed to take a second throw in the same round.

Important regulationsWhat follows, if a match ends in a draw

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