«sep 2024»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
2627282930311
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30123456
«oct 2024»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
30123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031123
45678910
«nov 2024»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678
«dec 2024»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
2526272829301
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
303112345
«jan 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
303112345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789
«feb 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
272829303112
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
242526272812
3456789
«mar 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
242526272812
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31123456
«apr 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
31123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
2829301234
567891011
«may 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
2829301234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930311
2345678
«jun 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
2627282930311
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30123456
«jul 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
30123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031123
45678910
«aug 2025»
MOTUWETHFRSASU
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567
AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustriaAzerbaijanBelgiumBosnia HerzegovinaBelarusBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkSpainEstoniaFaroe IslandsFinlandFranceGreat BritainGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandIcelandIsraelItalyKosovoLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMoldovaNorth MacedoniaMaltaMontenegroMonacoNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSloveniaSerbiaSwitzerlandSlovakiaSwedenTürkiyeUkraine
 
EnglandScotland
Other EHF Sites 

31.03.2017, 08:00
Brest’s 60 minutes to make history
«Go back »Print Version


LAST 16 PREVIEW: After their close victory in the first leg at Brest, Flensburg are favourites to win at home
 

Brest’s 60 minutes to make history

Can Meshkov Brest make history by making it to their first quarter-final, or will SG Flensburg-Handewitt make it to their sixth VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final in the last seven years?

This is the question prior to the duel of the Belorussian champions and the current leader of the German Bundesliga table. Flensburg took a 26:25 victory in Mehskov’s den in the first leg.

  • Brest have never made it past the Last 16 of the VELUX EHF Champions League
  • Brest will need to win by at least two goals, or by one goal if they score more than 16 goals, to make it through
  • Rastko Stojkovic is now Brest's all-time top scorer in international competitions with 215 goals
  • Flensburg's Tobias Karlsson is set to be back for the second leg, after leaving the court injured in the first leg

LAST 16, SECOND LEG

SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Meshkov Brest (BLR)
Sunday 2 April, 19:30 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

For the second straight time, Meshkov Brest are part of the Last 16 of the VELUX EHF Champions League. After losing both knock-out matches against champions Kielce in 2016, and the home defeat against Flensburg last week, Sergey Bebeshko’s team are still waiting on their first ever victory in this stage of the competition. But if they win on Sunday by at least two goals (or if they win by one and score more than 26 goals) the Belarusians will be through to their first ever quarter-finals,

On the other hand, a draw is already enough for Flensburg to make it to their sixth Champions League quarter-final in the last seven years. The only time they failed in the Last 16 was in 2015, when they were eliminated by defending Champions League champions - and local rivals - THW Kiel.

But in the current season their home court has not been the same fortress it had been in previous years. Flensburg have already lost their group matches against Kiel, Barcelona and PSG, while they tied with Veszprem. But the away record for Brest is not that much better: one win at Zagreb and draws at Celje and Kristianstad. Their last match on German ground ended in the same unhappy way as the 25:26 result last Sunday: a 24:25 at Rhein-Neckar Löwen.

Before they lock horns again, both sides are sure that nothing is decided yet:

“I am not the coach to celebrate a win after one leg, I will only celebrate if we book the ticket to the quarter-finals”, said Flensburg coach Ljubomir Vranjes.

“This was only the first half, nothing is decided before the final whistle at Flensburg”, added Bebeshko.

Both sides have to cope with injuries from the first leg, particularly Brest. SG defence maestro Tobias Karlsson, who had to leave the court after a heavy hit to the head, was part of the Flensburg squad in their Bundesliga win against Coburg on Wednesday. Brest will have to replace their left back Pavel Atman for five to six weeks after it became clear that he has a broken foot.

In the first leg, Atman was key for the advance of Meshkov. When he left the court, the tide turned and Flensburg took the upper hand, shooting ahead by six goals. After failing to score for nine minutes, the 2014 Champions League winners were extremely shaken. They were finally saved by right back Holger Glandorf, who netted in with a buzzer-beater.

In contrast to Atman, who will join German side Hannover next season, his team mate Rastko Stojkovic had something to celebrate. After his four goals in the first leg against Flensburg, the Serbian line player is the new all-time top scorer for Meshkov in international competitions with 215 goals.

The winner of this Last 16 pairing will face Group B winner HC Vardar in the quarter-final.


TEXT: Björn Pazen/kc
 
Share
CONTACT FORM