BSV record biggest win ever; Chekhov and Sporting take second straight victories
BSV record biggest win ever; Chekhov and Sporting take second straight victories
After three defeats at the start of their VELUX EHF Champions League campaign, Chekhovskie Medvedi seem to be back on track. Following a victory in Presov in Round 4, the ‘Bears’ beat Metalurg 33:25 on their home court in Russia.
BSV enjoyed their third consecutive win in Group C on Saturday afternoon, disposing of Besiktas in a game that saw the Danish side lead from start to finish. Overcoming Ramazan Döne’s absence was too tough of an ask for the Turkish side, whose dreams to qualify for the next phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League 2018/19 look slimmer round after round.
After Edmilson Araujo last week, Frankis Carol Marzo had an amazing time on the court for Sporting on Saturday night. The left back from Cuba scored 10 and led his team through the second half to win their fourth game since the beginning of the group phase. The Portuguese side now count eight points and are level with Bjerringbro-Silkeborg at the top of the table.
• Johan Plogv Larsen tallies nine goals for BSV, becoming the top scorer of the VELUX EHF Champions League, with 37 goals in five matches
• BSV set a new record for their most decisive win as they defeat Besiktas by 13 – their previous record was 12 goals against St Petersburg HC, 35:23, in November 2012
• Medvedi improve their form to reach four points after five games, while Metalurg lose their fifth straight match
• Frankis Carol Marzo scores 10 goals for Sporting as they take their fourth win and draw level with BSV on eight points at the top of the table
• It is the fourth time since the beginning of the group phase that the Portuguese side scored more than 30 goals
GROUP C
Besiktas Mogaz (TUR) vs Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN) 24:37 (12:22)
Without their most influential player, back Ramazan Döne, who was handed a one-game suspension after his expulsion against Sporting CP last week, Besiktas looked like a team in disarray in the first part of the game – and ultimately, that was their undoing.
For a team that prides themselves on their home court form, the Turkish champions definitely let their fans down. The Danish side jumped to a 10:4 lead after only 12 minutes, with top goal scorer Johan Plogv Hansen scoring four times.
It went from bad to worse for Besiktas, whose defence collapsed in the first half, while BSV scored for fun, taking a clear lead by half-time.
Hansen, who led the charge for BSV in the first round with 14 goals against Chekhovskie, scored six times in the first half and everything looked settled. Yet a 7:2 partial for Besiktas to start the second period looked promising for the home side.
"They were better than us throughout the game. At the start of the second half, we briefly showed some signs of life, but they used their experience and did not allow us to get back into the game," said Besiktas coach Mufit Arın.
Any hope the Turkish side held proved false, as BSV came back and ended the game on a high note, recording their biggest ever win in the competition, 37:24.
BSV also tied their record for most goals scored in one game in the top European competition – the same they scored against Kadetten Schaffhausen in 2017 and versus Vive Kielce in 2011.
"We were really effective at both ends today," said BSV coach Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen. "In the Champions League, every win counts so we are delighted with the result."
Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) vs HC Metalurg (MKD) 33:25 (18:13)
The Russian champions had lost both previous home games in the competition, against Sporting and Besiktas. But in the match against Group C outsiders Metalurg, Medvedi were seen as the favourites, and they confirmed that status when they celebrated an eight-goal win on Saturday afternoon.
However, it was not a walk in the park for the Bears. The home side enjoyed a good start and led 8:3 by the 11th minute, but Metalurg did not give up.
20-year-old Halil Jaganjac showed again why he is seen as one of Europe’s most promising players. After the rivals were separated by five goals (18:13) at half-time, the young Croat’s impact helped Metalurg to almost level, at 21:20.
Yet Medvedi had more energy left in the last quarter of the game. An impressive 6:1 run helped them to pull clear at 27:21, and the Russian side went on to claim the two points with a comfortable margin.
TATRAN Presov (SVK) vs Sporting CP (POR) 27:30 (13:15)
Carrying their pace over from last weekend’s match, Sporting were quick to pull ahead on the score board. With the Slovakian side struggling in offence, the visitors capitalised on fast-break goals and it was wing Ivan Nikcevic who earned Sporting the first clear lead of the game – a five-goal advantage after 13 minutes (8:3).
A timeout gave Presov some time to discuss their attacking tactics, and right after, the home side found their way back to form. Oliver Rabek and Roman Tsarapkin were finally finding space to shoot and took the opportunity to even the score at 10:10 just seven minutes later, before creating a two-goal lead. But Sporting finished the half just as they started, and after scoring four goals unanswered, held a two-goal advantage, 15:13, at half-time.
The second period saw the two teams playing cat and mouse throughout the 30 minutes. Twice, Sporting took a three-goal advantage, but were unable to retain it. Frankis Carol Marzo had a great day, scoring 10 in total – and it was his performance that finally led to the visitors’ breakthrough.
Three goals in a row in less than two minutes pulled the visitors ahead by three with eight minutes left to play, and the home team could never come back. The deficit was too hard to overcome and, thanks to a last-minute goal by Tiago Rocha, Sporting took a well-earned win away, 30:27.
