Superb duo lift Rostov to well-deserved win

Rostov-Don were dominant throughout the game at BV Borussia 09 Dortmund and in the end cruised to a 31:25 victory.

GROUP A
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) vs Rostov-Don (RUS) 25:31 (12:17) 

• four goals by Grace Zaadi propelled Rostov to a 10:4 lead midway through the first half
• a 4:0 run helped Dortmund close the gap to 15:12 before two further Zaadi goals saw the Russian team leading by five goals at the break
• Viktoriia Kalinina ended the game with a 36 per cent save rate, helping Rostov to steadily maintain their advantage throughout the second half
• Zaadi and Iuliia Managarova scored eight goals each for Rostov, while Fatos Kücükyilidiz stood out for Dortmund with seven goals
• Rostov climb to the second place in the group with 14 points, while Dortmund stay on nine points

Rostov bounce back

The Russian team had lost three matches during their current European campaign, but they had always won their following game. That was also the case now: Rostov were defeated by Team Esbjerg last week, but redeemed themselves at Dortmund, earning their fourth away victory in the current tournament.

Rostov, who boast the best defence in group A, managed to hold back Dortmund's attack, which once again missed the injured Alina Grijseels, and in the second half Tessa van Zijl also received a red card. With Zaadi and Managarova combining for 16 goals, the Russian attack also worked well.

Post-match quotes

Per Johannsson, Rostov-Don coach:

“We prepared intensively for Dortmund and had to constantly adapt to new tactical measures in the first half. We knew that Dortmund are strong and are happy to have won here.”

Vladlena Bobrovnikova, Rostov-Don left back:

“We knew it would be difficult in Dortmund. It was a game with many ups and downs. We were never able to gain a significant advantage.”

Andre Fuhr, Borussia Dortmund coach:

“In the beginning we had too much respect, when we lost that respect we came within two goals. In the end, however, our small squad lacked the power to beat this internationally strong team from Rostov. But I'm absolutely satisfied with the performance.”