10 goals from Rasmussen not enough for Skjern win

10 goals from right wing Rene Rasmussen were not enough to secure Skjern Handbold a win in the first leg of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group C+D Play-offs against HC Meshkov Brest. The Belarusian champions now have an undeniable edge ahead of the return fixture next weekend.

Group C+D Play-off
Skjern Handbold (DEN) vs HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) 31:31 (17:14)

Belarusian fans among the 2432 spectators in Skjern Bank Arena had the most reason to celebrate after the first leg of the play-offs between Skjern and Meshkov Brest.The draw gives the Belarusian champions an obvious edge ahead of the second leg in Brest on Saturday.

The match started equally with the lead changing hands and both teams taking a turn holding a two-goal advantage, but never more than that.

Towards half-time, Skjern claimed the upper hand and a couple of four-goal leads with it, and it seemed the home side were looking strong for a victory.

At the beginning of the second half, the Danes continued to dominate and increased their lead to five goals at 25:20.

But 12 minutes into the second period, Skjern lost their captain Thomas Klitgaard to his third suspension, and the experienced line player was severely missed in the Danish team’s defence for the rest of the match.

Five goals in succession helped Brest come back to 20:20, and from that point the game was a tight, even contest that ended with a Meshkov goal five seconds before the final whistle, securing a draw as the outcome.

Right wing Rene Rasmussen, who had been ill with the flu most of the week, scored 10 goals on 12 attempts for Skjern, and Serbian line players Rastko Stojkovic scored eight for Brest.

“I think we played an okay first half, but in the second half, we allowed them to run too much with us,” said Skjern goalkeeper Soren Pedersen after the match.