EHFCL Round 7 recap: draws for Tatran Presov and Vardar, new victory for Telekom Veszprem

Petar Nenadic

It was a round full of interesting moments and turnovers in the VELUX EHF Champions League. Tatran Presov and Vardar ended the round with draws. Slovakian gem played 27:27 against Bidasoa Irun, while Vardar finished the match against PGE VIVE Kielce with 28:28. Telekom Veszprem were the only SEHA team that secured victory in this round as they outplayer Meshkov Brest. 

(Group C) Bidasoa Irun – Tatran Presov 27:27 (12:15)
In a very tough guest appearance, Slovakian Tatran Presov secured a draw against Bidasoa Irun. After dramatic ending, the final result was 27:27 (12:15).  Slavko Goluza's squad was in the lead durng the whole first half. Team from Presov entered the second half with 3 goals advantage. Their play was getting better and better and in the 46th minute they were 5 goals up. In this moment, it seemed as though the victory is secured and the rest of the match will be a routine for Tatran Presov squad. But, in the next 10 minutes the home team made a complete comeback. With two minutes left on the clock, Tatran still had one goal advantage but in the last moments of the match Salinas Munoz scored for Bidasoa Irun and secured a draw for his team. Lukas Urban with 7 goals and Oliver Rabek with 6 goals were the best scorers in the guest team. Leo Renaud-David netted 6 times for Bidasoa Irun and Kauldi Odriozola Yeregui added 5 goals.

(Group B) Vardar – PGE VIVE Kielce 28:28 (17:16)
Reigning SEHA and European champions ended this round with a 28:28 (17:16) draw against PGE VIVE Kielce. Vardar started the match confidently and very soon got in the lead. They were dominating on the court and had 4 goals advantage in the 7th minute. But, after the first 15 minutes, PGE VIVE Kielce woke up and started to reduce that gap. In the 17th minute, Janc scored for Kielce and the guests were only one goal behind. The goal by goal play continued until the end of the first half and Vardar managed to maintain their one goal advantage. At the start of the second half, Vardar once again stepped up their play and increased their advantage to 4 goals. Soon after that, the guests made a comeback and got in the lead. The teams entered the last minute of the match with 28:28 result, when Jurkiewicz missed an opportunity to score for Kielce and Skube also missed an opportunity for a goal that would secure a victory for Vardar. Blaz Janc stood out the most in Kielce's squad with 7 goals while Angel Fernandez Perez added 6 goals. On the other side, Stas Skube was the biggest star in Vardar's team with 7 goals while Ivan Cupic scored 6 goals. 

(Group B) Meshkov Brest – Telekom Veszprem 30:37 (17:20)
In a interesting clash between SEHA clubs, Telekom Veszprem secured 37:30 (20:17) victory against Meshkov Brest. Even though the home team was in the lead at the start of the match, the tables have turned very soon. In the 11th minute, Telekom Veszprem took on the lead and did not let go of their advantage. On the half-time, they were 3 goals up, but in the second half the gap got bigger. With 15 minutes left on the clock and 7 goals advantage, it was clear that Hungarian squad will secure victory in the end. The best scorers in the winning team were Petar Nenadic and Dragan Gajic who netted 8 times each. On the other side, Mikita Vailupau scored 5 goals for Meshkov Brest. 

(Group C) Sporting CP – Eurofarm Rabotnik 36:26 (17:11)
In the last clash on Saturday, Sporting CP were better than Eurofarm Rabotnik 36:26 (17:11). For the first 10 minutes of the match, the teams were tied, but after that the home team made a 3 goals series which resulted in a advantage that kept getting bigger as the time went by. In the 47th minute, they were 8 goals up and it was obvious that the guests don't have time to make a comeback anymore. Despite the loss, Lovro Jotic and Vladislav Ostroushko played incredible and netted 8 times each for Eurofarm Rabotnik. On the other side, the best scorers for the home team were Tiago Rocha with 7 goals and Carlos Ruesga Pasarin with 6 goals. 

(Group A) Celje Pivovarna Lasko – PPD Zagreb 24:22 (10:8)
PPD Zagreb did not manage to secure first victory of the season. In a extremely tough match, Celje Pivovarna Lasko were better with 24:22 (10:8) in the end. The start of the match showed that it will be a tough one as both teams played great in defense. They were tied for the most part of the first half, but the hosts managed to collect two back to back actions which resulted in 2 goals advantage on the half-time. Croatian champions did not give up and managed to tie the result in the 50th minute. But the home team was more sucessful in the end and took the win in front of their fans. The best scorer in the winning teams was Josip Sarac with 6 goals, while Damir Bicanic was the biggest star in the guest team with 6 goals as well. 

(Group B) Motor Zaporozhye – Montpellier HB 25:26 (17:12)
Ukrainian Motor Zaporozhye missed a perfect opportunity for a victory on the home court. They played great for the whole first half and secured 5 goals gap on the half-time. They had the advantage all the way to the 55th minute after which Afgour scored for Montpellier and tied the result. The last minutes were a real thriller. In the end, Duarte Brito scored for 26:25 and brought new points to Montpellier. Maxim Babichev netted 7 times for Motor Zaporozhye while Jonas Truchanovicius and Hugo Descat netted 5 times each for Montpellier HB.