CATALIN NEGREANU
Bucharest, May 21 2016
The Romanian Men’s League Finals started with a shock, as not even the most optimistic DINAMO Bucharest fans could have predicted such an unbelievable result after the first game. The Red Bulldogs, as they are called by the DINAMO fans, literally swept the floor with their opponents from CSM Bucharest 34:20 (17:6).
In the regular season the two teams split the victories and in the EHF Cup both sides played very well, had strong performances missing by little a qualification in the quarter finals of the European competition. So, everybody was expecting a very tight and balanced match. It was not be…on the contrary!
DINAMO started the game very well with a lot of determination and showed a strong desire to win from the very first seconds. Their defense strong, aggressive and very mobile was lead by Ibrahima Diaw who proved that at 37 years old he didn’t lose any of his handball skills and he is still a top player who can perform on both sides of the court. In attack, the 9 meters line, with Vrankovic and Sandru, was fast and very inspired showing a great level of confidence.
On the other hand, CSM Bucharest started the game very weak and unfocused: their defense was slow and easy to penetrate while in attack they showed a remarkable lack of any idea and coordination, as they commited an avalanche of unforced errors. Marjanac, Milosevic, Mojsovski and Humet looked like this was the first very time they played toghether. After 14 minutes into the game the score was 6-1 for DINAMO and Zvonko Sundovshi, CSM’s coach asked for the first time-out.
The bench meeting didn’t change anything in the Tigers game (they call themselves the tigers and they have a tiger head on their t-shirt) and the Bulldogs stormed over them. Just three minutes later, after some fantastic one on one saves by goalkeeper Irimus and a series of spectacular fastbreak goals by wingers Campan and Asoltanei, the scored was 10 – 2 and Sundovski asked for the second time-out. CSM was in total disarray!
The rest of the second half went on the same way! DINAMO managed to hold a fantastic defense and had fabulous saves by IRIMUS, while in attack they scored from almost every position. CSM looked totally lost, whitout nerve and witout any tactical idea. Despite all the efforts of the technical bench, the team in blue continued to make one mistake after the other.
At the end of the first half the score board showed an unbelievable 17-6! While DINAMO scored from every position at the 9 meters line and also on the wings, CSM had only 6 goals in 30 minutes, out of which 4 of them came from 7 meters shots! A perfect half for The Bulldogs!
The break didn’t bring much change in the game. Remarkable enough for a team which showed many moments of fluctuation during the season, DINAMO remained fresh, focused and respected their game plan. CSM, on the other hand, tried to improve their game and lift themselves up from the pit they had fallen in the first half but with very little success.
The Red Bulldogs attack showed had some remarcable moments with right back Jakov Vrankovic and Ibrahima Diaw scoring spectaculars goals with some canon-like shots, while at the 7 meters line right winger Muhamed Zulfic was flawless. Even though CSM moved a bit faster and managed to score more, DINAMO’s defense remained strong, especially in the centre, where Savencoand Mousavi managed quite easily to block the 9 meters line of the Tigers.
The ten, or more, goals difference was all the time on the board and this huge gap gave DINAMO the calm and confidence they needed to be in control of the game all the time. Vrankovic scored two in a row and it was 21-8 after 35 minutes! Even when they had two more players on the floor, 6 to 4, as DINAMO had two players suspended at the same time, CSM had huge problems in defense and the Bulldogs scored twice while being two men down!
The big gap on the board stayed the same and DINAMO played without any pressure: 27-14 in the 47th minute with three consecutive goals by Zulfic! The last 12 minutes of the game had the Bulldogs still performing at high speed while allowing themselves to entertain their fans with some spectacular shots. In the other side, CSM struggled to limit the score, but their efforts had very little success.
The first game of the finals ended with an unbelievable 34-20 for DINAMO who had a fantastic performance and had a very strong game from the beginning until the end. A great way for the Bulldogs to start the finals who are now the strong favorites to win a new championship title after a break of eleven years!
On the other hand, CSM Bucuresti looked weak, tired and totally unable to keep the rhythm with DINAMO. They looked more like pussy cats than like tigers. Some dramatically has to change in their game to stand a chance in these finals. After the way they played in the first game it is pretty unlikely. We have to wait and see.
The second leg of the finals, which is played in the system “the best out of three matches” will be Wednesday, May 24 on CSM home court.
DINAMO BUCHAREST:
IRIMUS-15 saves(1 from 7m), GRIGORAS 1, MAKARIA – RAPCIUGA, RAGOT 2, DIAW 5, ASOLTANEI 3, MIRONESCU, SAVENCO, BĂLUȚ 1, SANDRU 5, CAMPAN 4, VANCEA, ZULFIC 6, VRANKOVIC 8, MOUSAVI.
7 Meters: 4/4 – all by ZULFIC
2 Minutes suspensions: 7– RAPCIUGA 2’, RAGOT 2’, DIAW 2’, SAVENCO 4’, SANDRU 2’, MOUSAVI 2’.
CSM BUCHAREST:
IANCU-5 SAVES, BLAZEVIC – MILOSEVIC 4, SIMOVIC, MILITARU 1, MOJSOVSKI, STAVROSITU, CONSTANTINESCU 1, RAPCIUGA, HUMET 3, KOSTADINOVIC 2, MARJANAC, NEGRU 7, ROTARU 2, UNGUREANU, STAMATE.
7 Meters: 7/5 – all 5 scored by NEGRU. Missed: NEGRU and MARJANAC.
2 Minutes suspensions: 2 – MILITARU 2’, MOJSOVSKI 2’.
Audience: 1800 people.
nichol
10. August 2018. at 17:29
team with the same qualities as like red tiger bulldog, aggressive, hardworking and enthusiastic. keep it up champs