A Strong Beginning Followed by Another Defeat for the Rejuvenated Buducnost
Nikolina Marković, Photo: Dejan Starčević/ŽRK Buducnost Bemax
During the farewell event at “Bemax Arena,” in front of a modest crowd of 150, Buducnost Bemax’s revamped team demonstrated that some players possess the talent to achieve far more than a 14th place finish in the Champions League.
With Maja Savić leading the team in Bojana Popović’s absence (who is unwell), Buducnost put up a strong fight against Odense. At one point in the first half, they even held a two-goal lead. However, Ole-Gustav Gjekstad’s squad, with the opportunity to secure the second spot in Group B and advance directly to the quarterfinals, broke through Buducnost’s defenses with their relentless pace, concluding the game with a convincing score of 33:17.
After a balanced start, the Danes took the lead first with Mia Hejlund’s goal making it 7:5 in the 13th minute. Buducnost responded with a 6:2 run, highlighted by four goals from 19-year-old Jelena Vukčević, putting them ahead 13:11 by the 26th minute.
However, that was the peak for Buducnost. The team that previously won 39:24 in their first matchup established dominance towards the end of the first half, scoring five consecutive goals and another at the beginning of the second half, extending their lead to 17:11.
From that point, it ceased to be a question of who would win, but rather by how much. The margin reached double figures midway through the second half (25:15) and was still at that mark with just four minutes remaining (32:17).
Buducnost’s performance was starkly illustrated by the fact they managed to hit the back of the net only four times in 35 minutes (after leading 13:11) while conceding 22 goals—an utterly disheartening outcome.
THE FUTURE BEMAX – ODENSE 17:33 (13:16)
Podgorica – “Bemax Arena”. Attendance: 150. Officials: Lovin and Raluka Stanku (Romania). Free throws: Buducnost Bemax 5 (5), Odense 6 (5). Exclusions: Buducnost Bemax 4, Odense 4 minutes.
Buducnost Bemax: ATINGRE (three saves and seven goals), Gigerih (four saves), MARSENIĆ 1, MARKOVIĆ 2, J. Vukčević 7 (4), GODEČ 2 (1), Popović, Čališkan, IVANOVIĆ 3, Agović, Radević, TOMOVA 1, Kadović, PAVIĆEVIĆ 1, N. Vukčević.
Odense: REINHART (three saves), Ten Holte (seven saves), ORDAL 5, Larsen-Aune 2, VAN VETERING 2, Dano 2 (2), Vale-Dal 1, Halilčević 3, HEJLUND 2, RUSFELT-DEILA 4, HANSEN -OGOT 7 (3), Van der Fleet 1, HAUSHER 3, Mejlvang, Hagese 1.
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