Montenegrins charm Bucharest - Bojana, Đina and Tanja return ĆSM to the final four after eight years

CSM Bucharest was the European champion exactly ten years ago, during the next two seasons it reached the final four and never again after that - until this spring.

It's obvious that the pieces had to fall into place when the Montenegrin handball legend arrived in the Romanian capital. Bojana Popović took over ĆSM in November, and five months later, together with two other "lionesses" Đurđina Jauković and Tatjana Brnović, she took him to the F4 in Budapest.

And, this over the powerful Esbjerg, which ĆSM eliminated in the quarterfinals - the Danish team won the first match 26:25, and ĆSM "knocked out" the team whose colors are defended by Hani Rystad and Nora Merk in the second leg (37:27).

The fact that Bojana gave the players who played less a chance to be part of the big match at the end speaks volumes about how much the team from Bucharest dominated the quarterfinals.

At that moment, ovations for Bojana could be heard from the stands - Bucharest obviously knows how to assess what was crucial for ĆSM to return to the top four teams in Europe.

And Cristina Neagu, the legend of Romanian handball, a defender for Buducnost from their championship days and a girl who ended her career last season at ĆSM, knows this too.

"Bojana came and changed the face of the team, ĆSM has won eight games in a row. I am truly happy for them, they deserve this placement and I really think they can reach the final," said Neagu.

Bojana thus shattered the dreams of the team from Denmark - a country where she left an indelible mark as a player and where she is on the national team's coaching staff.

"Whenever Esbjerg showed signs of a comeback, CSM Bucharest found easy solutions in attack, nullifying any progress by the visitors," wrote Danish "Ekstrabladet".

Both Győr and Metz have qualified for the final tournament, which will be held on May 6th and 7th at the MVM Dom, while the final participant will be determined by the match between Brest and Gloria from Bistrica, which starts at 18 pm. The French team won the first duel 36:35.

When it comes to the rematch at the "Joan Kunst Germenesku" hall, Gina and Tanja brightened it up with four goals each, while the most efficient players in the winning team were Elizabeth Omoregi and Trine Ostergaard with six each. Goalkeeper Evelina Maria Eriksson shone, making 14 saves.