SPORT

Flunked Qualification

This month, the feminine handball team rapid CFR Bucharest has flunked the qualification in the Champions League. A defeat and a victory against the vice-champion of Europe, Valencia, did not disarmed them yet, making us hope for other European Competitions.

In the tour game for the qualification in the Champions League groups, played in Spain, Rapid CFR Bucharest, the champion of Romania, met Valencia team, the finalist of the last two editions of the most important inter-clubs competition. The railway players have started confident the game, leading up to the minute 25 - the biggest difference recorded in the minute 20, when the Iberian players were led wit three goals difference (9-6). Unfortunately, this score could not be maintained, our girls flunking three attacks and a 7m hit. At half game, the handball players from Valencia have succeeded to recover the difference, going to the cabins with one goal advantage (12-11).
"We did so many mistakes in the second half as for four other games. I do no know what happened, but the focus showed in the first minutes of the game has surely disappeared", Mircea Cucuian, the competition director of Rapid, was declaring. There it is not possible to have four 7 m mishits, three Busuioceanu and one Cristina Mihai (10 goals), and many other attacks 1 to 1", he has also added.

Return Game …in Bucharest
Although Rapid CF Bucharest has defeated Valencia at home, the difference of only four goals (26 -22) was not enough for the qualification of the railway players in the Champions League.
"We wanted so much to qualify, but there was not possible. The team is very tired lately. My players did not have time for recovery. Not even the analysis meeting could take place, because they have already been convoked to the national team. There is no competition on the positions, either!" the coach Gheorghe Covaciu has declared. Visibly frustrated by the rumors according to which he would be dismissed due to the flunked qualification, Mr. Covaviu has said: "I came to Rapid to make performance. If I will not succeed, I will quit myself!".
But there is no need to be pessimistic, the failure does mean that the Rapid players could not obtain better results in other continental competitions…

Oana Branzan