THW Kiel: Landin N., Quenstedt – Duvnjak 2, Reinkind 1, Landin M. 1, Weinhold 2, Ekberg 8 (4), Rahmel, Dahmke 1, Zarabec 4, Horak, Bilyk, Pekeler 7, Nilsson 3

 

Telekom Veszprém: Cupara, Sterbik – Manaskov 3, Yahia 4, Moraes 2, Gajic 1 (1), Nilsson 5, Marguc 1, Lauge 1, Strlek 2, Terzic, Blagotinsek, Nenadic 2, Mackovsek 2, Lékai, Borozan 5

 

Penalties: 4/4 and 1/1

Suspensions: 2 min. and 4 min.

 

In the first 10 minutes of THW Kiel – Telekom Veszprém in the VELUX EHF Champions League, the picture of the game was balanced. Veszprém could be in the lead with nice goals, while Kiel was running after the result. We managed to get a two goals lead in the 10th minute, after Cupara saved two times, and passed to fastbreaks first to Manaskov then to Marguc. Terzic received a two minute suspension, from which Kiel managed to turn the game around. The standing in the 16th minute was 8:8. The home team took a two goals lead in the 21st minute. David Davis was forced to call a timeout, after which we managed to come back and take the lead again. Five minutes before the end of the first half, the standing was 13:13. It did not change much, so the team are through to the dressing room with 15:15 in the break.
 
In the first five minutes of the second half, the teams were head-to-head still, then after two mistakes, the home team took a 19:17 lead. Veszprém called a time out in the 37th minute, after Kiel did a 4:0 run and took a 21:17 lead. Veszprém more or less melted the bigger difference and came back to 25:24. The home team’s game was centralized around Pekeler, who scored from clear chances. To the last five minutes of the game, the teams turned to a two goals lead for Kiel, from which Veszprém could only work down one. THW Kiel won 29:28, and won our group.
 

 

 
Andreas Nilsson: Congratulations to Kiel, it was a huge fight. We played well sometimes, but today Kiel was better in every position. It was a deserved win after all. I am proud of my team, because fought until the end. I hope that we can bring this experience home.

 

 

Filip Jícha: I am pretty happy right now because the game was really intense and super equal. The little things were the key during the whole game. We could take a 3-4 goals lead in the second half, and we had a little bit of luck as well. I am proud of my players, huge respect to them for what they did. It is not easy to play against one the best team in the world. Nikola Bilyk and Partick Wiencek was out, but we had Hendrik Pekeler who fought all the way. He was a key player for the defense as well. We are on the good way, and I am really proud of them. All the best for Veszprém.

 
Niclas Ekberg: As my coach said, we were fighting without our two key players missing. I think it says a lot about our team spirit, what we have done today. There were players who did not play much before and stepped up in this unlucky time for us. Veszprém played really good, and it was exactly the match we predicted, intense and hard until the end. We played our gameplan for 60 minutes and it worked.
 

 

Photo: Dávid Vörös