Handball ladies win big game against Leverkusen

The scenario: In Bayer Leverkusen, a team travelled to Dortmund who had beaten BVB in the reverse fixture in late September and knocked them out of the DHB-Pokal in front of a home crowd in Dortmund after sealing a 26-24 victory. Meanwhile, Borussia had regained confidence over the last few weeks, with important victories against Bensheim, Solingen, Halle and most recently against cup winners Metzingen. Coach Henk Groener's team had a score to settle with Leverkusen, and at the same time, were looking to bag the next important points to consolidate their position in fourth place in the table.

Personnel matters: With the exception of the two long-term injury absentees Dana Bleckmann and Lena Degenhardt as well as Frida Rønning, who was missing due to illness, coach Henk Groener had a full squad of players at his disposal.

The match: It was a very dogged start to the big match. In particular, both goalkeepers put their stamp on the game. Miranda Nasser in the Leverkusen goal made two saves, while her opposite number in goal for BVB, Tess Lieder, was called into action four times in the first ten minutes of the game. Led by captain Carmen Campos, the Black & Yellows put together a 7-0 run and turned a 3-1 deficit into an 8-3 lead. 

Tess Lieder dominated the game in the BVB net and even saved a penalty throw from Mariana Lopes. Leverkusen coach Michael Biegler responded with a time-out and encouraged his team to be more self-confident and aggressive. BVB, on the other hand, had found their rhythm by that point and were driven by the desire to take revenge for the defeat in the reverse fixture. Firstly, Haruna Sasaki conjured up some magic with a fine throw at 8-3. Johanna Andresen answered that with an effort of her own to get Leverkusen's first goal after the Dortmund run. Tess Lieder and her defence had managed to prevent a goal from being scored for some ten minutes in a row before that.

Bayer were looking to find a way through the strong BVB defence, but at the other end Henk Groener's team did not make enough of the phase and wasted several opportunities to increase their lead. Surprisingly, Michael Biegler called a second time-out after 24 minutes with the score at 9-5. The excellent support in the stands in the Wellinghofen sports hall took that opportunity to celebrate their team's lead. It did, however, break the momentum of the side in Black & Yellow after their strong run, and three minutes before the break, Groener brought his team together and called for clearer structures in the attacking phase of the game. Carmen Campos and her teammates had to overcome a six-minute run without a goal of their own. Lisa Antl was denied from the circle right on the stroke of the half-time whistle, Miranda Nasser making a good save, meaning Borussia went into the break with a narrow 12-9 lead.

The guests got off to a better start in the second half, and BVB owed their lead entirely to Tess Lieder, who thwarted several chances for Bayer to equalise at 14-14. At the other end, no player in Black & Yellow managed to get the ball past Leverkusen's Miranda Nasser. After 40 minutes, it was crunch time: Leverkusen's Mariana Lopes made the most of her side's one-player advantage after a sin bin for Alicia Stolle to make it 14-14. 

BVB had gone some seven minutes without a goal of their own before Haruno Sasaki and Zoë Sprengers once again gave the fans in the Wellinghofen sports hall something to shout about with a quickfire double. The second half of the game was a high-intensity affair, with both sides showing great fighting spirit. The door to a home victory for Borussia continued to open wider, as BVB stretched their lead to 22-17 in the 53rd minute when Sprengers showed great determination to power the ball into the away team's goal. This time, Leverkusen could not come up with a response, and so the Borussia women were allowed to celebrate a deserved home victory in front of 902 spectators after the final whistle.

Coach Henk Groener: "First of all, a big thank you to the fans for the great atmosphere. On the attack, we allowed ourselves to be caught up too much in the duels. Next week, we need the same compact defence against Thuringia, but a better high-tempo game. It's fun to work here and there's a lot going on, so I'm all the more pleased to have extended my contract with Borussia Dortmund this week."

Lisa Antl: "It wasn't the prettiest game, but sometimes you also have to win ugly. We have a few things to work on, but we have the two points and that's the most important thing."

Outlook: Three away matches in a row and the international break mean that BVB will not be back in action in the Wellinghofen sports hall again until 4 May, when BSV Sachsen Zwickau will be the guests. Before that, BVB have a match against Thüringer HC (18:30 CET) next week, followed by trips to Neckarsulm and Bietigheim.

BVB Handball Women: Lieder, Wachter; Hausherr (2/1), Sprengers (6), Kusian (1), Antl (2), van Kreij (1), Stolle (3), Ossenkopp (1), Sasaki (3), Olsson, Campos (4)