The quarter-finals of the Women’s European League is just around the corner. Ola Selby of GoHandball have ranked the eight remaining teams.
In the European League, eight teams secured direct spots in the quarter-finals. Ola Selby of GoHandball has ranked the eight remaining teams in his Power Rankings, which are based on their performances so far this season.
Here is the quarter-finals:
Thüringer HC – Ramnicu Valcea
Ikast Håndbold – H.C. Dunarea Braila
JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball – HSG Bensheim/Auerbach
Super Amara Bera Bera – HSG Blomberg-Lippe
1: Ikast Håndbold
I realize that it may be somewhat controversial to rank Ikast first, given that they did lose two matches in the group stage. The reason I rank Ikast above teams like Bensheim/Auerbach and Blomberg-Lippe is that I believe Ikast’s group was tougher.
Ikast’s losses came away against Valcea and Dortmund. However, I think Ikast has gotten better and better throughout the season, especially since Jamina Roberts joined the team after the Vipers’ bankruptcy.
Roberts is the best player of the tournament, and with players like Stine Skogrand and Emma Lindqvist in their squad, Ikast looks incredibly strong.
2: HSG Bensheim/Auerbach
They defeated Fredrikstad by eleven goals, Bera Bera by two, Paris 92 by seven, Paris 92 again in the return leg by four, Fredrikstad by two, and in the final round, they secured another two-goal win over Bera Bera. The German up-and-coming club thus went undefeated in the group stage.
It looks impressive. However, there are still some question marks, especially since, in my opinion, their group was the weakest.
On the other hand, they did what they could and won all their matches, largely thanks to Nina Engel at right back and Marie-Lucie Kretzschmar at left back, who together scored 71 goals.
3: HSG Blomberg-Lippe
They only lost one match in the group stage, and that defeat came away against Lubin in a tight contest. Otherwise, Blomberg-Lippe secured nothing but victories, and they look strong heading into the knockout stage.
Two players have impressed me the most: Nieke Kühne, primarily at left back. The 20-year-old scored 70 goals during the group stage. Additionally, right back Laetitia Quist also looked very promising.
4: H.C. Dunarea Brăila
It was hardly the offense that carried Dunarea Braila through the group stage. In fact, no other team that advanced scored fewer goals than the Romanian club. However, on the other hand, only Bensheim/Auerbach conceded as few goals.
Despite the lack of offensive brilliance, there were players who stood out: especially Mireya Gonzalez at right back (31 goals) and Katarina Jezic at center back (34 goals).
This team is definitely a contender for the gold.
5: Ramnicu Valcea
Here, it’s somewhat the opposite compared to the Romanian friends from Dunarea Braila. Valcea has scored the most goals of all the teams that advanced, but they’ve also conceded the most. Bent Dahl, the experienced Norwegian coach, is probably not satisfied with the latter.
However, there is plenty of quality, which they clearly demonstrated with victories over Ikast, Sola, and Dortmund during the group stage.
Nathalie Hagman is, of course, high up in the internal top scorer list with 46 goals. But Anniken Wollik on the left wing has also been scoring heavily, with 47 goals.
6: Thüringer HC
So, where do Thüringer really stand? It’s hard to say. They could definitely be a team for the Final Four based on how their play looked in the group stage, but they could also be out already in the quarter-finals.
A lot, maybe everything, comes down to two players: Csenge Kuczora with her incredible shot and, perhaps with an even sharper shot, Johanna Reichart. The Austrian leads the Bundesliga top scorer list and has been scoring heavily in the European League as well.
But are these two players a bit too isolated for me to rank Thüringer higher? Yep, definitely.
7: JDB Bourgogne Dijon Handball
Three wins and three losses for a team that barely made it through the group stage. They lost both matches against Blomberg, won one and lost one against Lubin, while going undefeated against Motherson.
There are plenty of skilled players on the team. I’ll highlight four: Nina Dury, Nadia Offendal, Lilou Pintat, and Celine Sivertsen.
8: Super Amara Bera Bera
First of all, it’s really exciting to see this Basque team, from the culinary hub of San Sebastian, make it all the way to the playoffs in the European League. They won the Spanish league last season and have continued to make strides since then.
This is a team with several standout players. Elke Karsten, the Argentine national team player, is an old favorite of mine. The left back has been sharp in the group stage, scoring 48 goals. I also like the younger sister Tchaptchet, Lyndie, who has looked promising in the pivot position and, of course, reminds me of her older sister Lysa in Odense.