Velenje secure big home win against Nimes
Zoran Jovicic’s side played their best match in the competition so far, not giving Nimes a chance to come close. With strong defence and fast breaks, Gorenje Velenje secured an important home win ahead of the re-match, going a step closer to the quarter-finals. USAM Nimes Gard will have a tough job on their home ground in a week.
RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) vs USAM Nimes Gard (FRA) 29:22 (15:12)
- USAM Nimes Gard’s coach Franck Maurice left the helm only a day ago, assistant coach Yann Balmossiere had his debut as head coach
- an even start in Slovenia, first team to take a more significant lead was Velenje
- Aljaz Panjtar was a real shot-stopper in first half with ten saves at 46 per cent efficiency which helped his team to keep the lead at half-time
- biggest gap between the teams was at the 52nd minute, Velenje set 27:18
- centre-back Domen Tajnik was Velenje’s top scorer with six goals, adding to his great assists
- the competition’s top scorer Mohammed Sanad scored nine, his tally now stands at 87
Defence makes a difference
Gorenje Velenje played very well at both ends of the court, however it was their defence giving their attack an added boost. Mainly, the 6:0 defence was hard a nut to crack for Nimes, but even when they managed to get through, Aljaz Panjtar came to the rescue. Slovenian goalkeeper maintained a high level throughout the match, allowing his team to create a big gap. Panjtar finished the night with 13 saves at 37 per cent efficiency.
We showed a good game in defence today. I congratulate my teammates on the fight we showed on the court. We know we're going to have to prepare well for the second game and play it better than we did today.
