Mosonmagyarovar was put under pressure and needed a victory to continue their European campaign 2023/24. After some back and forth action the Hungarian team secured two points against CSM Targu Jiu and will look forward to the quarter-final round.
Targu Jiu entered the game with five straight losses, however Mosonmagyarovar had some struggles and couldn’t pull away. Zsófi Szemerey superb save percentage (50) was vital for the winning team who cheered intensively after the tight run. Noémi Pasztor´s goal in the final minutes meant second position in the table.
Storhamar ruled in the second half against Praktiker-Vac and the Norwegian contender followed through to the top in group A. Praktiker-Vac was shut out from the play-off part of the season, but Csenge Kuczora made a mark with 59 goals as top scorer so far in the cup.
Thüringer HC´s last group game became a confidence boost with 29–17 over Lokomotiva Zagreb. Dinah Eckerle might be a deciding factor for THC when the most exciting part of the European League starts next month. On Sunday, 16 saves from the keeper held Zagreb severely down after the break.
Neptune de Nantes and MKS Lublin played 25 minutes on equal terms (16–16). From then on, Nantes took charge with Helene Fauske´s power shots (nine goals) in focus.
All is set for the quarter-finals:
Thüringer HC–Storhamar HB
Sola HK–Neptunes de Nantes
Mosonmagyarovar KC–CS Gloria-Bistrita
Podravka Vegeta–Dunarea Braila
European League
Group A, Praktiker-Vac–Storhamar 24–30 (13–15)
Group B, Thüringer HC–Lokomotiva Zagreb 29–17 (13–10)
Group C, Neptune de Nantes–MKS Lublin 39–25 (19–15)
Group D, CSM Targu Jiu–Mosonmagyarovar KC 20–22 (10–10)