Höör go one step further

Winning the double-header against Galytchanka-Lviv in the semi-finals this weekend qualified Swedish team H65 Höör for the final of the Women’s EHF Challenge Cup.

At the same time H 65 take a step further compared to the last season, where the semi-final of the same tournament was the end for them.

Höör will have to wait a week to know their opponent in the final, but Issy Paris Hand have the upper hand in the all-French encounter against Union Mios Biganos-Begles after a 31:24 victory at home.

First leg: PO SC Galytchanka-Lviv (UKR) vs H65 Höör (SWE) 22:29 (10:13)
Second leg: H 65 Höör (SWE) vs PO SC Galytchanka-Lviv (UKR) 29:25 (16:10)
Aggregate: 58:47 win for Höör

H 65 are in the final of the Challenge Cup after two clear wins in the double-header at home against Galytcanka-Lviv.

Despite several technical mistakes in the first half of the first match, Höör were leading 13:10 at half-time and in the second half, they increased their lead to 10 goals at 22:12.

However, Lviv managed to reduce the gap to four goals, before Höör tightened the grip at the end and won by seven.

“We were a little tense in the first half. During the break we agreed to avoid falling into their traps,” Höör playmaker Anna Roxa told the Swedish Handball Federation’s website after the match.

With a seven-goal lead before the second match in Björkvikshallen, Höör made it all clear in the first half which they won by six goals.

They were leading by six or seven for most of the second period, before Lviv managed to bring some more respectability to the scoreline towards the end and reduce the distance to four goals.

“This is magic and fantastic at the same time. We have been working for some time on qualifying for a final and now we have succeeded all of a sudden,” Höör coach Niklas Harris said, as qualification for the final became fact.

Issy Paris Hand (FRA) vs Union Mios Biganos-Begles (FRA) 31:24 (11:13)

The match in the Palais des Sports in Tremblay was the fifth meeting this season between the two teams, and Mios are still chasing a first win.

They seemed to be on the way in the first half, which they won 13:11, but the last 30 minutes were completely dominated by Issy, taking the second half by nine goals and the match with seven, which obviously gives the team from the capital a fine chance to be Swedish H 65 Höör´s opponent in the final.

“It is a very good victory which gives us a clear advantage ahead of the second leg. We conceded too many goals, especially in the first half, but managed to turn things our way in the second half,” Issy goalkeeper Armelle Attingré said.

“We did everything we wanted in the first half, and everything we wanted to avoid in the second half,” Mios coach Manu Mayonnade said.

“Against Issy, every missed shot, every lost ball means that they will score seconds after. I think seven goals is a bit hard, but that is the way it is. It will give us no room for second thoughts, we’ll have to get them out of their comfort zone next Friday, just the way we did in the first thirty minutes today,” concluded Mayonnade.