Sola: “Seeing progress on a daily basis really makes me happy“

Vlado Sola

Beijing Sport University - Nexe 26:35 (14:14)

(Zhu 5 / Jelinic 7, Mileta 6 )

Vlado Sola, Beijing Sport University coach:
Congrats to Nexe, they took a well-deserved win here today. Clearly they were favorites in this one and our main goal was to deliver a better outing than we did the first time we met them in Nasice, especially on the defensive side of the court. Today we showed we can play on a high level for more than 20-25 minutes. We need to focus on working to improve our strength and tactics but I'd like to use the opportunity to thank all of my colleagues and players for their hard work and dedication. Seeing progress on a daily basis really makes me happy.

Hrvoje Horvat, Nexe coach:
I would say BSU's outing from the second half in Presov was some kind of a warning for us. We knew we won't have an easy task here in Zagreb and that is proving coach Sola and his guys are really doing a great job here. Second half was better, we waited for BSU's black hole which we expected to happen and in that period we opened the gap. From that moment on it was way easier.

Peijie Huang, Beijing Sport University player:
Nexe are a very strong opponent. However, I think we've really progressed, especially in these last two rounds. We tried to stay close throughout the full course of the game but I feel like the biggest difference between Chinese and European handball is the fact we often lose focus and that's something we'll try to fix in upcoming matches.

Marin Jelinic, Nexe player:
We were aware this match is going to be different than the one we played against the same opponent in Nasice. We were a little nervous in the beginning of the game. However, BSU are definitely playing better now than in the beginning of the season but what's most important is that we've managed to stay in control of the game and take three points in the end.