Kielce snap losing streak, Nantes take MOTW
The last Machineseeker EHF Champions League round before the Christmas break offered some stunning action on Wednesday evening.
In group A, Veszprém secured another win - their ninth in ten rounds - in Denmark. After a tough start, the Hungarian side was able to turn things around and with Nédim Rémili scoring 10, it cruised away to its second win against the same opponent. In the other game of the group, Pelister beat their record for fewest goals conceded in a game to defeat Plock, taking two crucial points in the play-off's race.
In group B, Kielce finally stopped their losing streak. While its last victory dated back to round 5 and an away game in Kolstad, the Polish side took the points at home against the same opponent, well helped by Klemen Ferlin’s decisive saves in the last five minutes. Played in front of more than 11,000 fans, Match of the Week between Nantes and Magdeburg lived up to all expectations. If the hosts were down by four at the break, they turned things around in the second half, but remained threatened until the last second by SCM.
Their 7-against-6 play posed significant problems for us defensively, and we struggled to contain their attack. Despite our efforts, we couldn’t maintain control of the game, and that ultimately made the difference.
Fortunately, our coach had prepared us very well for this challenge, and that gave us the confidence to stick to our plan. Early on, Fredericia managed to pull a few goals ahead, but we didn’t lose our focus or let it affect our composure. We stayed disciplined, executed our tactics, and secured the two points with confidence.
What a night! I think everyone enjoyed tonight in Bitola. My players were at the top level. I am proud of the efficiency and how we played throughout the match, especially defensively. We deservedly won. I am happy because what I saw in training, we showed tonight. I also enjoyed the great audience, this is what we need, the support that this magical hall can provide.
They (Pelister) wanted more this two points and they showed that. I think that here we managed to score from clean situations, and even with one more player. We made a lot of mistakes.
We know Kielce fight very well at home and we showed a lot of effort. I am proud of my teammates. In our group small things are a key. We were bad today at small things. We are not happy about that part of the game when we made mistakes, these were small details. These were two points that we would love to have but unfortunately not tonight.
Last two months we lost four games in a row, today was a hard game. For us those points are very, very important and the most important thing is that we are in a higher position in the group than Kolstad because we won twice against them.
The game was crazy. It’s always special to play in from of more than 10.000 fans. It’s not the first time we have a difficult game start but we managed to comeback with strong attack and solid defence. It’s a good result.
It was a tough battle. Perhaps we deserved more. We played a fantastic first half. The quality of our second half should have been better to win in this incredible atmosphere. It’s not the first time this scenario happens, we are disappointed but we keep on working.
Wednesday's action in round 10
