RRI Sports Club

Florin Orban, 30.01.2019, 12:46

Romanian handball has a new star. Her name is
Crina Pintea, plays as a pivot and was the only Romanian player to be included
in the European
Championships all star team in December 2018. Crina Pintea plays for the best
European team at the moment, Gyori Audi ETO and has made her Champions League
debut with this side on Saturday, when Gyor faced the Romanian champions CSM
Bucharest at home. She scored nine goals, having entered the match midway
through the first half. At the end of the match, Gyor were leading CSM by
precisely 9 goals: 36-27. Crina Pintea said this after the match:

I wanted very much to do my best, more than 100%, and
I’m very happy I played so well today. I feel great here. I love this public.
They are wonderful people and love handball. Everyone tells me to play here,
but it’s not up to me. All I want right now is to do my job and we’ll see…

Crina Pintea was born on 3rd April 1990 in
the village of Podu Turcului in Bacau county, in the east. She made her debut
in handball at the age of 20 at Handbal Club Zalau, with manager Gheorghe
Tadici. In 2012, she and her team reached the final of the EHF Cup and, one
year later, the semifinals of this competition. It was also in 2012 that she
played for the national side for the first time. Three years later, she was
part of the Romanian team who won the bronze medal at the World Championship in
Denmark.

After the match in Gyor, the Hungarian side lead Main
Round Group 2, followed by Vipers Kristiansand and CSM Bucharest, with 6 points
each. In their next match, the Romanian champions face Krim Ljubljana at home
on 2nd February.

Romanian teams are not doing very well in the EHF Cup.
On Saturday, Magura Cisnadie lost away to the Norwegian side Storhamar 28-23,
in Group A. Magura Cisnadie have so far lost all their four group matches. They
will next face the leader of the group, Team Esbjerg from Denmark. Sport Club
Municipal Craiova, the holder of the EHF Cup title, lost to the Croatian side
Podravka in Koprivnica. The latter won 23-18 and top Group D, while Craiova are
in the last position in the group. SCM will play their next match on 3rd
February, when they face the Danish side Nykobing away.