“Guys, wait, we are Romania! The most beautiful moment of the year, forget about any pain at the national team”

Ashley Davis19/11/2025

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Article by Adrian Jitea – Published Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 9:41 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 9:47 p.m.

Pivot Lorena Ostase and left winger Sorina Grozav prefaced the Carpathian Trophy and Women's Handball World Championship. “The most beautiful time of the year” starts on Thursday, from 17:30, with the duel against Austria.

Reporter Adrian Jitea and photojournalist Ionuț Iordache will be in Rotterdam with the Romanian national team and will transmit all the information and images that matter;
The World Championship will be played between November 26 and December 14, 2025, in the Netherlands and Germany. Romania will play all matches in Rotterdam.

Before taking off for Rotterdam, the tricolor handball players have three interesting duels at the Carpathian Trophy. Romania will play against Portugal on Thursday, the Czech Republic on Saturday and Austria on Sunday, all matches scheduled at 17:30.

Lorena Ostase is optimistic. The good form experienced by the players at the “Florir League” clubs gives her hope.

Lorena Ostase: “The national team is something else, forget all pain! The most beautiful time of the year”

“It's the most beautiful period for us, the period of a European or World Championship. The most beautiful moment of the year! I'm glad that the Carpathian Trophy is at our home. I am glad that Bistrita has become a benchmark. Every time I played here, it showed. It's great to experience this as an athlete.

The 3 matches will be tough. We have to continue what we started. We are some more experienced players. It's time to see each other, for people to feel that the national team can bring them joy.

We have set this goal for a long time. I think I started last year, with the European. I'll be very honest, I wasn't at the level we are at now. Now, Romanian players are playing and doing it very well. Now, this World Championship does not come as a test, as a collective desire to show that we can. Let's show this face of the national handball team.

I hope people from Holland and nearby will come to the matches (ticket details). Last year, in Debrecen, we didn't expect to have so much support, it was impressive!” said Lorena Ostase on Tele21 Bistrita, in dialogue with the journalist Sărmăşan Mihai Lucian.

The moment when Norway was leading us by 5-6 goals and we said: “Hey, wait, we're Romania!”. We can come back. To me, that moment meant our desire and love as sportswomen. From now on we have to do it even better, better and better! We have to keep our heads on our shoulders, play casually and enjoy this beautiful handball

I'm going to tell a little secret. Playing many club matches is a joy, yes it is. But when you reach the national team, it's a different energy. The national team is the national team! It's the most beautiful time. When you come here you feel that nothing hurts anymore, you forget about fatigue. It's something more! When you can't anymore, you can a little more here.

– Lorena Ostase

Sorina Grozav: “The planets have aligned for us!”

“We have three tests that will help us realize what we still have to work on. It's a very short time, but we will prepare, we will give everything to reach the World Championship in top form. We have a very nice group, I think the strength of the group will come out and we will play very nice handball.

We really want to get as high as possible. Only we know how much pain and sorrow we have. In the life of every athlete there comes a period when things don't work out for you. Now, it seems the plants have lined up for us. We are girls with our heads on our shoulders and we know what we have to do”, Sorina Grozav also transmitted

Tickets for the games in Bistrita, as part of the Carpathian Trophy, are still available on the Eventim website.

Romania's team for the “Carpathian Trophy”

Goalkeepers: Iulia Dumanska (Minaur), Bianca Curmentă (Corona Brașov), Elena Şerban (Danurea Brăila)
Far right: Sonia Seraficeanu (Gloria Bistrița), Mihaela Mihai (CSM Bucharest)
Inter right: Alicia Gogîrla (SCM Craiova)
COORDINATOR: Rebeca Necula (Rm. Vâlcea), Alisia Boiciuc (Corona Brașov), Andreea Popa (Brăila Danube), Elena Roșu (Brăila Danube), Cristina Laslo (Gloria Bistrița)
pivot: Lorena Ostase (Gloria Bistrita), Sonia Vasiliu (Slatina), Asma Elghaoui (Rm. Vâlcea)
Enter left: Sorina Grozav (Corona Brașov), Maryia Skrobic (Rapid)
Far left: Gabriela Dumitrascu (Corona Brașov), Eva Kerekes (Gloria Bistrița)