Candeias outstanding in sensational Sporting triumph

The biggest surprise on the first day of the Men's EHF Cup Group Phase came in Skjern, where Sporting CP won no less than 32:25 against Danish league leaders Skjern Håndbold.

Goalkeeper Ricardo Candeias played a great part in the sensational Portuguese win which opened Group B of the Men's EHF Cup on a day with a couple of other remarkable results.

Lugi HF opened Group A with a quite unexpected 32:28 away win in Germany against Bundesliga team TSV Hannover-Burgdorf – even without defence expert Magnus Jernemyr – while Reale Ademar started with a convincing 28:19 win against Csurgói KK in the other match in the group - in a game where the Hungarian visitors never really got into the game.

In the only Saturday game in Group C, TATRAN Presov pleased nearly 3,000 spectators in their home arena by winning as clearly as 37:30 against IFK Kristianstad after having been up with 11 goals a couple of times

Group A
Reale Ademar Leon (ESP) vs Csurgói KK (HUN) 28:19 (13:9)

The match in the Palacio de los Deportes de Leon only remained equal for the first ten minutes. From the score 5:5, the Spanish hosts got ahead by three at 9:6, and after that, the 4,100 spectators were pleased to see their heroes increase their lead even more to four goals towards the end of the first half and – as the second half progressed - to nine goals which was also the difference after the 60 minutes.

Centre back Juan Castro Alvarez became his team's most scoring player with six goals, the same amount as Csurgói's left wing Akos Lele scored for the visitors.

TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (GER) vs Lugi HF (SWE) 28:32 (13:15)

Most people probably saw bundesliga team Hannover-Burgdorf as favourites on home court against Lugi – especially as the Swedes were missing their experienced defence specialist Magnus Jernemyr due to injury.

Nevertheless did the visitors get the better of the hosts.

Lugi were leading from the start, and throughout the first half they were up by two to three goals.

The difference was still two goals at half time, and if anyone among the 3,005 spectators in the Swiss Life Hall in Hannover was expecting the home team to get back into the match in the last 30 minutes, they were disappointed.

TSV and their supporters did get some hope, as the home team got their first lead in the match at 17:16 five minutes and 50 seconds into the second half.

That lead was soon increased to two goals at 18:16 and shortly afterwards at 19:17, but those leads were to be the only one, the TSV were to have in that game.

Four Swedish goals in succession changed the score to 21:19 in favour of the away team and as that lead was increased to 24:20 and 27:22, the matter was practically decided.

Group B

Skjern Håndbold (DEN) vs Sporting CP (POR) 25:32 (12:15)

With a saving percentage over 50, goalkeeper Ricardo Candeios played a crucial part, as current number two in the Portuguese league, Sporging CP won by no less than seven goals away against Denmark´s current number one, Skjern Håndbold.

Exactly a week after having taken the first place in the Danish league through a 25:24 win against KIF Kolding København, Skjern were humiliated by Sporting in front of 1,567 spectators in the same hall, Skjern Bank Arena, where they were so triumphant last Saturday.

Sporting keeper Ricardo Candeias played a crucial part in his team's sensational win. With a saving percentage above 50, the 33-year-old shot stopper made his strong contribution to his team's sensational away win which was never in danger.

It took the home team seven and a half minute to score their first goal, and after a three goal half time lead, Sporting got up with no less than 11 goals in the second half before winning by seven.

“We did not even look like a team who were sorry to lose. It was an insultingly poor performance from us, and it would have turned out even worse, if our goalkeepers had not done as well as they did,” Danish international Henrik Møllgaard from Skjern said.

Group C
TATRAN Presov (SVK) vs. IFK Kristianstad (SWE) 37:30 (19:16)

TATRAN Presov got a really promising start to their EHF Cup campaign through this clear seven goal win at home against ambitious Kristianstad in front of 2,932 happy spectators in the City Hall Presov.

After and equal start, Presov got ahead by five goals, and it took two time outs from Kristianstad coach Ola Lindgren to get his team fairly back on track and reduce the distance to three goals at half time.

After the break nothing could really stop the home team, though, and TATRAN got up with no less than 11 goals at 32:21 and 33:22, before the visitors managed to minimise the gap a bit towards the end.

“If you play as poorly in the defence as we did tonight, you cannot expect to win away in the EHF Cup – at least not against a team like Presov who have a lot of European experience. We still have a chance in this group, but it will take a considerably better defensive play than we showed tonight, if we are to proceed from the group,” Kristianstad's head coach Ola Lindgren told eurohandball.com