Tóth feels the tension

The top scorer of Hypo Niederösterreich, Tímea Tóth, already feels the excitement before the second leg of the final. She tells us how her team prepare for the game that will be played in Wr. Neustadt on Saturday.

Eurohandball.com: Do you talk to many journalists these days?

Tímea Tóth: There are some calling me, of course, but I think it would be more difficult in Hungary. They would be crazy about this final. But I also get more questions in Austria than before.

Eurohandball.com: Are you easy about the final or do you feel anxiety?

Tímea Tóth: I feel the tension already, especially when someone asks about the final or when friends talk to me about it. Everyone is looking forward to this game very much.

Eurohandball.com: How do you prepare for the game?

Tímea Tóth: We work on tactics all the time. We have seen the video of the first game and we analysed the mistakes. There are things to improve, but only one or two new gameplans can be practised. The rest will be basically business as usual.

Eurohandball.com: What do you have to do personally?

Tímea Tóth: I have to play better than I did in the first game. I was not satisfied with my performance either in attack or in defence. The Russians were prepared for me and I have to think over what I can do about it. But at least our left winger, Erika Kirsner, was free and she scored many goals.

Eurohandball.com: What did you think about Zvezda? Did they play better than in the Main Round?

Tímea Tóth: Absolutely. They were more motivated to play the final. Earlier they believed that they would make it anyway, but now they play with motivation and without much tension.

In fact, they are a great team with many good players. They have young ones who can replace the more experienced stars and there are new players for defence too. They are fit until the end of the game.

Eurohandball.com: There is a lot of talk about the so-called “ideal” result from a first leg game. What do you think about this subject?

Tímea Tóth: I believe that it is better than winning by a few goals. Now we see that we have made mistakes and, to be honest, we played badly after the break. I’m satisfied with it, but it won’t be easy anyway.

Eurohandball.com: Is it better for you to play in Wr. Neustadt in a bigger arena for the final?

Tímea Tóth: We have been training in Wr. Neustadt to get used to that court. It is a big space respect to Südstadt and we have to practice there to get used to it. But it won’t be a problem and I hear that the arena will be sold out. I’m looking forward to playing there.