by Sascha Staat

Sandra Toft  has seen it all during her career and played in many big games before. Even though the match against Sweden, in Copenhagen, on Tuesday evening was labeled as a friendly encounter, it was quite intense. Right after the game, the Danish goalkeeper spoke about how to deal with pressure and her expectations in the EHF Champions League with her club team Györ.

First of all, congratulations to the win today. It was just a friendly game, but still quite intense.

ST: Yes, it’s always like this when we play against Sweden. They are our neighbors and we know each other really well.  Many of us play together in various clubs. And, in this atmosphere the game will always be intense.

I had the impression that in the first ten minutes your team was a bit nervous?

ST: Yes. Several of the players never played in such a big arena before. Obviously, some of us were a little bit nervous. We just had to play it off.

Is it still special for you to play in front of so many people? You’ve played in the Champions League FINAL4 and you’ve played in front of regular sell-out crowds in Brest, for example. Now, you play in Györ.

ST: Yes, these are the games I love to play the most, especially in front of  ourDanish fans. We are not used to that, but I like it very much.

Now the national team break is behind you and the business phase of the EHF Champions League is coming up. What’s on your mind when you think about the quarterfinals against Odense?

ST:  I’m excited. I think it’ll be a tough quarterfinal and I’ve been thinking of these games for a long time now – I cannot wait to play against them.

It appears like everything clicked in the last few months for your club team, maybe apart from the last minute in Metz, when you lost the match at the buzzer. How do you see the current situation?

ST: Yes, I think we improve all the time. We got some players back from injury and we are in a better flow.  I hope the level will keep going up for the rest of the season.

What will be the key success factors against Odense?

ST: That’s a good question. I think it’s a Danish team, so of course they like to run a lot. We have to play smart in attack and avoid stupid mistakes. It will be important to focus more on ourselves and what we can do. But, when you play a Champions league quarterfinal, you need to pay attention to your opponent as well.

When you joined Györ last summer, did you expect it to be the way it actually turned out? It’s the biggest club in women’s handball and everybody expects you to go to Budapest and win the title.

ST: Yes, I pretty much expected it like it is. I think it’s cool to play in a club with big ambitions. It fits me well and I dream of winning the Hungarian League, the Cup and then the Champions League. I really want that trophy.