Veszprem snatch the advantage

VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final, first leg
PSG Handball vs MKB-MVM Veszprem 26:28 (14:12)

Veszprem took a huge step towards qualification for their first VELUX EHF FINAL4 by winning against PSG in Paris.

For seven minutes, no team scored before Momir Ilic got the scoreboard moving for Veszprem. Soon after, the Hungarian side lead 9:4, thanks to the numerous saves from Mirko Allilovic.

However, PSG wasn't going to let it slip so easily and soon came back into the game, based on defence and fastbreaks. At this game, Jeffrey Mtima was the best of the Parisians, scoring six goals in the first half alone and leading his team into the dressing room 14:12 up.

Carlos Ortega, Veszprem's coach, made a decisive change at half-time. He brought Nandor Fazekas on court and the 37-year-old goalkeeper was going to change the game around. Little by little, he helped his team back into the game, and Mikkel Hansen was the only one able to score against him. On the other side, Momir Ilic scored his ninth goal in the dying seconds to gain a two-goal victory and end up as top scorer of the game.

Philippe Gardent, PSG coach, did not dismiss his team's chances to go to Cologne, despite the home loss: "We could have had a better result if we had put the ball in the net. But during the whole game, we showed we were able to disturb Veszprem. If we play even better next week, there can be a miracle."

On the other hand, Momir Ilic was very pleased with the situation going into the second leg: "We knew it wouldn't be easy, and both teams played well in periods. We started well but couldn't retain our advantage. Nandi's saves in the second half were decisive factors for our win, and if we play with same intensity next Saturday, we shouldn't be too far away from Cologne."