BLOG: Atletico czech-mated in Kiel

“Holy Handball” is what Robin would have said to Batman if he had seen the game of Kiel versus Atletico Madrid in the VELUX EHF Champions League.

It did not disappoint. In the blog before the game I mentioned that it was a new slate, regardless of what had happened before, because when these two teams meet, then anything is possible.

It may have sounded prophetic talking about every play on the court magnified in a split second, but so it happened between mistakes, goals and saves.

It is what the VELUX EHF Champions League is all about and what it should always be about.

Madrid came without four very influential players, one of whom, Aguinagalde, is nominated for Player of the year, and you would have been forgiven if you thought that the rest of the team would roll over and play possum before the Kiel juggernaut, but these guys were of the opinion that they deserved respect, from media and public alike.

And perhaps they also laid down a marker to their own coach to say, that he has assembled a great team that can qualify again for the FINAL4.

The game has to be commended for so few suspensions, great play from so many players and great refereeing from the boys from Portugal.

Imagine Davis scoring from 10 metres on a fast break under pressure, the young boy Miguel scoring some great goals, Barachet looking very good in Lazarov’s place. A peach of a goal from Zeitz, the young Wiencek showed he has learned a lot from Ahlm and looks like he could be a great replacement for him and Eckberg and Vujin looking like they are settling back in.

Our best wishes go to Ferrer who looks like he suffered a bad one during the game. Stay strong Alvaro.

But it all comes down, in my opinion to a microcosm of the game. Step forward two goalkeepers Dahl and Palicka and two shooters Markussen and Jícha. Their imprint was all over the game.

Dahl, who has been asked to step into the very large shoes of Hombrados and Sterbik, started the game fantastically, while Palicka looked like he could not catch a cold.

He might be forgiven for having his mind elsewhere, as he has a very big family day next Thursday (best of luck Daddy).

But learning at the foot of the master in Omeyer, Andreas has picked up a thing or two.

The most important is not how many you save, but when you save them. His two saves from Masachs when Josep was in clear space on the right wing were exceptional; the first is just world class.

Dahl continued to make some great saves but at vital moments in the game just couldn’t get that fingertip to the ball.

As I sat with Palicka after the game, Masachs walked past. I shouted out, hey Josep, here he is. Masachs gave a wry smile; Andreas punched me on the arm. But the respect for each other was plain to see.

Markussen scored eight great goals in the game and really started to shine, but in the tight situations when the pressure from the Kiel defense came, he could not find a way through.

And then there was one. It was the good, the bad, but not the ugly of Filip Jícha. He made so many technical faults. He made so many bad passes and in his 35 or so minutes on the court he scored 13 goals.

He epitomized for me the matches between these two teams.

There is no perfection; there is just pressure to try to perform at the highest level. The players did all they could to create and deny in the Sparkassen.

Kiel had the victory, another day it might have been Madrid.

Czech mate!