Borussia Dortmund's women's handball team came agonisingly close to springing a surprise against CSKA Moscow in their second Champions League home game, but ultimately saw their lead cancelled out late on and were then denied a draw in the final two seconds as the Russian side snatched a 28-29 (15-11) victory.

"We were not rewarded for what was a strong performance over long spells. We ran out of fuel at the end," said coach André Fuhr, who then addressed the misplaced throw by the otherwise outstanding Alina Grijseels that led to the last-second defeat: "Some of our shots were rushed. We were lacking a bit of support from the goal, and the match officials also made a few dubious decisions against us."

Borussia Dortmund dominated the leaders of Group B for 50 minutes in the Helmut-Körnig-Halle, leading 10-3 by the 11th minute, 15-11 at the interval and 24-17 at one point in the second period. Even with 10 minutes to go, the Black and Yellows were 27-22 ahead and clearly still in the ascendancy. Given their dominant performance, there was nothing to suggest that they would end up empty-handed. Alina Grijseels, the most successful thrower with 10 goals, and in particular Kelly Dulfer (4) were the standout figures in a strong team.

But the lead was overhauled in the closing stages. With the score at 28-28, Borussia had possession and Grijseels went for the win. But her throw backfired and was blocked by the CSKA Moscow wall, with the visitors from Russia then countering to take the lead for the first time all game in the dying seconds... (br)