The pulsating 26-25 win over Podravka Vegeta in an epic game didn't just represent the first points gained in the EHF Champions League; it may also act as an important milestone in a season in which the BVB women's handball team hope to achieve great things, on the domestic front at the very least. 

The voyage to Croatia has unquestionably brought the team closer together. When the team bus pulled into Dortmund at 23:30, it marked the end of a 17-hour round trip which started at the very same place at 6:30 in the morning. The return flight from Zagreb was 15 minutes too late for the 22:00 cut-off for landing in Dortmund airport, meaning the team had to land in Paderborn instead. In the end, the players couldn't care less. ''We're happy,'' said captain Alina Grijseels, who has demonstrated her importance to the team in the past two matches by leading them to victory over Podravka Vegeta and domestic rivals Buxtehude.

Dortmund – Zagreb – Paderborn – Dortmund

After the bitter home defeat to Brest Bretagne, coach André Fuhr will have been delighted to see how his team responded over the last two matches, notching up a dominant win in the league and picking up their first points in Europe. The last 120 seconds of the match after Inger Smits' goal to make it 126-125 proved a real backs-to-the-wall job, especially in light of the fact that BVB were playing with one fewer player than their opponents. The final whistle triggered scenes of unrestrained joy: the BVB bench stormed onto the court and the players shouted in celebration.

The scorer of the winning goal - Inger Smits - is also on a fine run of form. The coaching staff were also full of praise for the performance of 20-year-old goalkeeper Yara ten Holte, who made an exceptional close range save at a critical juncture of the match to keep the Black & Yellows on course for victory. 

The record after six competitive matches reads as follows: four wins, two defeats (both in the Champions League). The 26-25 win over Podravka Vegeta means Borussia are on course for qualification for the knock-out round. The international break is now upon us. The next Champions League match is on 11 October, when BVB host group leaders CSKA Moscow in Dortmund (16:00 CET, Körnig Halle). Before that, important league points are up for grabs: Borussia travel to TuS Metzingen on 7 October. 

A total of nine players are travelling to join their national teams today. Highlights of the upcoming international fixtures include two match-ups between Germany and World Cup winners the Netherlands. (br/ab)

A photo feature on the trip to Croatia will be included in the next issue of the members' magazine "Borussia", which will be published on 9 October.