Things continue to go according to plan in the Bundesliga for the Borussia Dortmund women's handball team: the Black & Yellows defeated the Ketsch-based Kurpfalz Bären by a scoreline of 42-22 (23-9). However, the team's upcoming EHF Champions League fixture against Metz Handball has been cancelled. 

BVB coach André Fuhr had to deal with a few absences on Wednesday evening: Delaila Amega is still sidelined with a long-term injury, while Clara Monti Danielsson (thigh injury) and Alina Grijseels (private reasons) were also unavailable. The fact that BVB were missing a few players made little difference in what proved to be something of a mismatch, even if the bottom-placed side were able to hold their own in the opening stages (6-5 by the 8th minute). However, this evenly-matched start to the game was mainly down to lapses in concentration on the part of the Black & Yellows. 

The Kurpfalz Bären opted for the seventh-player strategy in attack, which naturally played into BVB's hands. Several goals on the counter-attack helped the Black & Yellows pull away from their opponents. Tina Abdulla scored with a beautiful goal from the right-wing to give Borussia a 10-5 lead in the 15th minute. After 22 minutes, Dortmund were already up 17-7. Even goalkeeper Yara ten Holte and her second-half replacement Rinka Duijndam were able to get their names on the scoresheet by finding the back of the home side's empty net. By the time the referee blew the whistle for half-time, the Black & Yellows had built up a 23-9 lead. 

The second half continued in much the same vein as the first: BVB dominated proceedings and continued to pull further and further ahead. After 42 minutes the scoreline stood at 30-14. André Fuhr made several changes and gave his starting seven plenty of time on the bench. In the middle of the second period, BVB were playing with two left handers in backcourt: Jennifer Rode in the middle and Tessa van Zijl at right-back. 

Champions League game cancelled 

The Kurpfalz Bären were able to capitalise on a few BVB errors in the closing stages to pull a few goals back. When all was said and done, the Black & Yellows were 42-22 up on the scoreboard. Borussia now have a goal difference of +239 and sit atop the Bundesliga table with 42:0 points and an unbeaten record.

André Fuhr's side are next in action on Wednesday, when they host HSG Blomberg-Lippe at 19:30 CET in Halle Wellinghofen for a rescheduled Bundesliga fixture. However, the play-off match in the EHF Champions League against French side Klub Metz, which was set to take place at Helmut Körnig Halle on Sunday, has been cancelled. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has declared the French border region of Moselle a hotspot for virus variants. 

The decision made by the Robert Koch Institute would mean that after arrival in Germany from Metz - the capital of the Moselle local authority - BVB's play-off opponents would have to spend ten day in quarantine and undergo subsequent PCR tests. In the event of negative PCR test results, it would not be possible to leave the quarantine until five days have elapsed at the very earliest. This means it is not currently possible to stage the Champions League match in Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund, Metz Handball and the EHF are united in their efforts to find a solution.

BVB handball women: Duijndam (1), Roch, ten Holte (1); van der Heijden, van Zijl (3), Smits (6/2), Abdulla (10/3), Stockschläder (3), Freriks (2), Dulfer (2), Rode (2), Bleckmann (5), Vollebregt, Gutiérrez Bermejo (7)