First group phase points for Saint-Raphael

Saint-Raphael Var Handball claimed their first victory in the Men’s EHF Cup 2016/17 Group Phase after opening the stage with two consecutive losses, defeating Slovenian side RD Riko Ribnica on Sunday to settle into third on the Group A table.

•    Raphael Caucheteux from Saint-Raphael top scores the match with nine goals
•    Four goals were enough for Nik Henigman to become the highest scoring player for Ribnica
•    Ribnica are still searching for their first points in the group phase

Group A
RD Riko Ribnica (SLO) vs Saint-Raphael Var Handball (FRA) 24:31 (12:15)

Saint Raphael won Sunday’s only Men’s EHF Cup match to claim a crucial two points, but it was not until the last minutes that the French victory began to look so decisive.

Saint Raphael were in the lead from the start and pulled four goals ahead several times before taking a three-goal advantage with them to half-time.

Most of the second half, Ribnica managed to keep their opponents on a short leash, but Saint Raphael were still constantly in the lead. For the first 20 minutes of the period however, the distance was never more than three goals.

Several times, having reduced the deficit to one goal, Ribnica had the chance to equalise, but they never succeeded.

Instead, Saint Raphael made the deciding difference in the last 10 minutes and won by seven at the final whistle.