RRI Sports Club – Handball
An overview of domestic and international handball competitions
Florin Orban, 03.04.2024, 13:45
The Romanian men’s handball team, Dinamo Bucharest, has advanced to the European League quarterfinals after defeating Silkeborg of Denmark away from home 27-24, in the return leg of the quarterfinals playoffs. The top scorers for Dinamo were Andriy Akimenko of Ukraine with 7 goals and Miklos Rosta of Hungary with 6 goals. Xavi Pascual’s trainees had an exceptional first half, leading 16-8 half-time. The Danish side upped their game in the second half and narrowed the lead to 2 goals, but Dinamo eventually secured the qualification. The Romanian club had won the first leg in Bucharest 37-34. In the quarterfinals, Dinamo will take on another team from Denmark, Skjern Handbold, first on April 23 in Bucharest and then on April 30 away from home.
In women’s handball, the defending champions CSM Bucharest will play the Romanian vice-champions Rapid Bucharest in the first Romanian Cup semi-final. Romania’s representatives in the European League Final Four, Gloria Bistrița and Dunărea Brăila, will face off in the second semi-final. The draw was made by SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea and Romanian national squad goalkeeper Daciana Hosu, currently training in Bucharest. Hosu will play for CSM starting next season. Romanian Cup semi-final matches will be played on April 20-21 in Brăila. Cup winners CSM Bucharest last season defeated CSM Târgu Jiu in the final. Attending the Romanian Cup draw, Constantin Din, chairman of the Romanian Handball Federation, referred to the value of Romania’s women’s domestic competitions. “We’re the only country with three teams qualified in the later stages of European competitions”. We recall CSM Bucharest qualified to the Champions League quarterfinals whereas Gloria Bistrița and Dunărea Brăila will face off in the European League semi-final in Graz, Austria, for a place in the final. (VP)