Lokomotiva aim to defend four-goal lead in southern Sweden

After closing a two-goal deficit early in the second half of the first leg Women’s Challenge Cup Final, HC Lokomotiva Zagreb won 23:19 at home against H 65 Höörs HK. On Saturday night, they aim to defend that lead when they visit southern Sweden.

Both Cassandra Tollbring from Höör and Larissa Kalaus from Lokomotiva feel that their respective teams can play better than in the first match.

FINAL, SECOND LEG
H 65 Höörs HK (SWE) vs HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Saturday 13 May, 18:00 local time

Both clubs have certain experience with European finals. Höör were also in the Challenge Cup Final in 2014, when they won the competition.

Lokomotiva have been in twice as many finals as their Swedish adversaries, but both date considerably further back, and neither were successful for the Croatian club. In the 1995/96 season, they lost the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup, and this story repeated itself in the same tournament two years later.

This time, Lokomotiva are bringing a four-goal lead with them to the return match in Sporthallen in Höör on Saturday evening, having won the home game on Sunday 23:19.

Representatives of both sides are confident ahead of the second meeting between the two teams in less than a week.

“We want to take the initiative. We were not good enough at doing so in the first match, so we will have to improve on that. I also think we can play better in our defence as well as in our attack than we did in Zagreb,” Höör left back Cassandra Tollbring tells eurohandball.com.

Lokomotiva left back Larissa Kalaus draws confidence from her team’s performance in the first match.

“We showed that we can play with them. We just need to give our best during all 60 minutes, and I think we can win on their ground.

“It will be tougher than in Zagreb, because they will be highly motivated, but I think we can win,” concludes Kalaus.