It seems like playing against big sides in the EHF Champions League does not scare FC Porto. After drawing against Barça in round 7, on Thursday evening the Portuguese side took the two points against Lomza Vive Kielce, 29:27.
It was not an easy affair, though, as the visitors were down by four in the opening moments of the game. The second half was all Porto’s as they pulled off an excellent defensive performance to take their second home win of the season.
GROUP B
FC Porto (POR) vs Lomza Vive Kielce (POL) 29:27 (14:14)
- while Kielce made the better start and led by five goals (8:3) after 16 minutes, Porto reacted quickly
- after tightening their defence, the hosts were able to count on an efficient Rui Silva in offence. The centre back scored three goals in 20 minutes and as he was helped by Pedro Cruz, Porto were back level at the break
- as Kielce did not recover, Porto increased their advantage in the second half. The Portuguese side's maximum advantage in the second half was four goals (18:14)
- two players scored seven times each: Pedro Cruz for Porto and Artsem Karalek for Kielce
- thanks to this win, Porto are now in seventh place, with seven points, while Kielce remain first on 14 points
Pedro Cruz pulls off the best performance of his career
At 37, the Portuguese left back knows that most of his career is behind him, so there is no doubt that he is enjoying these EHF Champions League games even more.
At the start of the season, due to Miguel Martins and Andre Silva’s departures, he was given more responsibility. On Thursday evening, he shone on the court, scoring seven times, and was his team’s most powerful offensive asset before the break. If Porto were still in the game after the break, it was thanks to him.
