Adžić: We will learn from defeat

Where former European champions Viborg and Zvezda Zvenigorod failed, German title holders Thüringer HC succeeded – they managed to inflict a defeat on last season's EHF Champions League winners Budućnost.

At the same stage last season German team had only collected one point from six games, but they beat defending champions Budućnost 24:20 in the Round 3. The result means that the race for the top two spots in the table remains open with Budućnost, Thüringer HC and Zvezda all having two wins and one defeat.

“We only lost to Thüringer HC by four goals, but mistakes caused the defeat,“ said Budućnost coach Dragan Adžić. “We had a bad approach at the beginning of the first and second half. Those things are to be expected, because it’s difficult for our young team to play every game at the level without the odd slip-up." 

Adžić's team did not play as well as they had in the previous two games with Zvezda and Viborg, especially in attack, having scored only 20 goals.

“We knew that this would be the most difficult away game because Thüringer plays with great energy and great desire,“ added Adžić. “But we didn’t respond properly to the required level for that game.

“Anyway, this is a rewarding experience for our young team and I am sure that in the week ahead we will work hard to correct the mistakes we made, in order to prepare for a new clash with them on Sunday in Morača hall. But this match won't be easy and we have to prepare in the best way.”

After a bad start to the game (2:7), the Montenegrin side managed to fight back and take a 9:8 lead. But, there were too many ups and downs in the game, and THC took advantage of their rival's inconsistency to take a decisive lead at 20:15 in the 50th minute.

“Budućnost managed to reduce the deficit five minutes before the end to just one goal (20:21), but couldn't score any more, while their German opponents scored four more goals by the end of match.

“We had a small number of players available to come on. We had some problems with injured players, which meant we couldn't play at our best. But I repeat, this is a learning experience and we had to lose to get the girls sober. I'm sure that in the next matches we will do better.“

Beside the defeat, more bad news arrived for Budućnost this week - Clara Woltering (pictured left) sustained a right ankle injury in the 48th minute of the defeat in Germany. But a much bigger problem for the German national team player could be a hand injury.

“Her hand injury is more serious than her ankle injury,“ said Adžić. “I believe that the ankle injury is not serious. But how serious the hand injury is, we will only find out after an MRI scan.“