The trophy, at Giulesti!
The 28th of May 2000 will remain a long remembered date in the history
of the Romanian feminine handball; it is the moment Rapid CFR Bucharest managed to bring
in Giulesti a new trophy – City Cup!
After the home victory against the powerful Randers HK Danish team with
a score of 30 to 25, in Denmark, our girls proved hard to be defeated, finishing 26-26 on
aggregate, thus wining the precious trophy.
Let’s have a short look at the ‘picture” of the two rounds of
this final part of the competition.
The tour
Saturday may the 20th 2000, Rapid,
hall filled with supporters as never before, became the jousting place for the first round
of the Final City Cup.
To win the trophy, our girls had one more obstacle to pass: the Danish
team Rankers HK!
Aware of the importance of this first match, at home, the Rapid funs
supported their team with a delirious burning dedication.
Although our players had at first an hesitating playing debut, the
equal score during the first round, the efficiency of the Romanian players became obvious
only in the second round, when coach Vasile Margulescu changed the game tactic.
The solution was the man to man marking and the infiltration of Elena
Napar toward the adversary semicircle that got the upper hand in the Danish defence.
In the 58th minute, the Giulesti girls were in advance with
3 points (28-25), the exact moment left forward Alina Dobre was cancelled for two minutes
because of a fault.
Hopes for obtaining a slight score difference to keep our team in
advance for the second tour seemed to vanish away.
Danish team attacking, but our goalkeeper Cristina Dogaru, with a
sensational effort, managed to reject the ball handed by the strong Nicole Heuwekemejer.
Although less in number, the Rapid girls succeeded in increasing their
advantage by Elena Iorgu’s counterattack. Alina Dobrin, who, entering the filed in the
last 44 minutes of the match, marked the final goal of the game, cut off the aggressive
defence of the Danish team.
Thus, the home victory against the Danish Randers HK makes possible for
the Rapid CFR Bucharest team to play away with an advantage of five goals ahead.
“ While they were leading with 4-6, I realised that we had to use the man –to- man -marking. Then I felt that the place of Elena Napar was at the semicircle, and I was right!” Vasile Margulescu, coach
The return match
The return match began with a “rapid”
dominating movement, the Romanian girls surprised their adversary by Alina Dobrin sending
in the field as a pivot. The centre Elena Napar opened the score. Though during the first
minutes of the game our girls led with an advantage of 3 to 1, the Danish, by a
counterattack strategy, scored an equaliser and then took over. During minute 17th
the Danish team already had three goals (6-3) in their advantage; the balls forwarded by
our girls missed the gate or were rejected by the goalkeeper Cristine Lindeman.
Our goalkeeper, Cristina Dogaru, who defended 2 penalties induced to
our team the “waking –up”, and in the minute 27 Rapid finally scored the equaliser
(9-9).
During the second round, because of Elena Napar our team was in
command. A few difficult moments followed: a 2 minute penalty for Elena Napar (but
nevertheless the Romanian girls managed to score), the definitive penalty for the centre
Elena Iorgu. Eventually, the Danish scored the equaliser but not for long…
The game soon took another aspect: while right forward Nicoleta Gasca
together with the inter right Cristina Mihai were driving mad the Danish goalkeeper,
Cristina Dogaru did the same thing with the adversary attack.
Rapid girls led with 24 to 22! Nothing could stop them bringing the
trophy to Bucharest!
The end of the match was a real handball- show, with some fine moments
that thrilled the audience.
For example, Alina Dobrin and Elena Napar offered the public a “fly
in the air” applauded by the audience but not approved by the “ men in black”
because of passing the semicircle.
Although the return match ended at equality (26-26), the final whistle
confirmed the victory for the Rapid team, which had an advantage of five goals, in the
first tour.
The applause of the supporters and the melody “We are the
champions” made our girls cry with joy…
The European federation officials handed the trophy to Cristina Dogaru,
considered the best player at the moment.
The coaches Vasile Magureanu and Constantin Popescu “were thrown in
the air” and the entire team rounded the hall showing the long-desired trophy to each
and every person in that hall.
Goals
with tears!
Minute 23, at a score of 8 to 7 for the home team, Elena Iorgu scored limping and
crying because of an accident suffered a few minutes ago. After the scoring, she sat on
the bench where she was taken care of by the doctor Calina.
Superstitions
Coach Vasile Margulescu wore during the return match the same clothes wore at the home
match, when his “girls” won with five goals in advance.
Giulesti
atmosphere
Among the 30.000 supporters within the “Randrershallen” tribunes were 30 Romanians
established in Denmark a long time ago. They came equipped with an entire “arsenal”:
trumpets, confetti, a gigantic white-purple flag, and a drummer becoming a little and
devoted gang of supporters for our girls.
City
Cup will stay in Bucharest!
Rapid CFR Bucharest will permanently keep this trophy, becoming the Challenge Cup since
next season. Interesting is the fact that, seven years ago, after Rapid had won the
IHF Cup, the competition transformed into EHE Cup, so that that trophy too, remained in
Giulesti for good.
“ Five goals is not much! I know Randers HK had matches during City Cup competition, when they took over even 7 points. But, away, we have always played better, so I don’t think it impossible to defend our advantage and win the cup!” Elena Iorgu.
