Löwen takes off to secure first win of the season

Rhein-Neckar Löwen kicked off round 2 of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase with their first two points this season after a win against Orlen Wisla Plock on home soil, 31:27. The Polish runners-up see themselves without a point in group A while Löwen have three at the top of the group.

• Wisla Plock first scored in the seventh minute but it was all even in half time, 13:13

• The home side had the patience after the break to build up a lead and secure the two points

• Löwen's Jerry Tollbring and Rafael Baena Gonzalez both scored six times for the hosts while Michal Daszek also netted six for Plock

GROUP A

Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) 31:27 (13:13)

The Mannheim Lions got off to a good start early in the game, taking the initiative and netting the first three goals in front of their home crowd. After a wake-up call in a time-out after only five minutes, the Polish visitors finally got on the score sheet after seven minutes.

Plock shook off their bad start and found their confidence. Around two-thirds of the way through the first half they had managed to gain a three-goal lead to bring the score to 11:8. Patrick Groetzki leveled the score for the Lions right before half-time and the teams left the court with the score even on 13:13.

After some tight first minutes in the second half, the home side geared up while the Polish visitors tried to follow the pace. Löwen left wing Jerry Tollbring put the hosts four goals ahead midway through the second half and by then there was no turning back.

The German champions did not let the visitors close again despite six goals from Plock’s top scorer Michal Daszek. The 31:27 win for Löwen is their first of the season, while Plock is without a point.

Now the Mannheim Lions see themselves with three points on top of group A – at least for the time being. The rest of the group play their second-round matches at the weekend with round 1's only winning teams, HBC Nantes and HC Vardar, due to face each other on Saturday.