Medvedi in the Quarterfinals

The first leg in Spain saw a game with many goals and a 36:37 Russian victory. This success gave a good reason for Chekhovski to be confident for the second leg.

However, this game was slightly different from the previous encounter. The defences and goalkeepers performed much better this time and a considerably lower number of goals were scored. As a consequence, Ademar would have needed a two-goal victory to qualify for the Quarterfinals.

Actually the Spanish team had their chances in Chekhov. They were able to stay close to the hosts all the game. Medvedi were only in the lead by one goal with five minutes from the end. At this point, however, the Spanish side was completely blocked and could not score a single goal in the last five minutes of the game. The prolific Bicanic (8 goals in total) and his team mates failed to beat goalkeeper Budko who decided the match.

The 29:25 home win and the 66:61 aggregate means that Chekhovskie Medvedi are the first team to reach the Quarterfinals.

Coaches comment

Jordi Ribera: Congratulations to Medvedi and their coach Maximov for qualifying. I also have to give credit to my team for not giving up after the home defeat and they tried everything for the victory. The home game that we lost by one goal had a psychological effect on my team despite the minimal difference. Some of our players were not able to concentrate in the last five minutes of the game and we missed many clear chances and 7-m shots. This was decisive.

Vladimiar Maximov: It was a difficult game. It wasn’t easy last week when we made it difficult for us and gave away a few goals of difference. Today we played with confidence and used our chances efficiently. However, when Ademar came back into the game they made it difficult for us. At the end we were more focused.