Winner takes it all on Sunday

No team in the Women’s Challenge Cup Final can build on an advantage from the first leg going into the all decisive match on Sunday.

Rocasa Gran Canaria and MKS Perla Lublin left the court in Spain last week with a 22:22 draw. So no matter how big or small the margin, the winner of the second leg in Poland will raise the trophy.

FINAL, SECOND LEG

MKS Perla Lublin (POL) vs Rocasa Gran Canaria (ESP)
Sunday 13 May, 20.15 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

There won’t be much calculation needed to determine the new Women’s Challenge Cup champions in the Globus Hall of Lublin on Sunday night. After the 22:22 draw in the first leg last week, the winner of the return match will also be the winner of the cup.

In case of another draw, Lublin claim the title if the final score is 21:21 or lower, while Gran Canaria become the champions if the result is 23:23 or higher. Should the match end 22:22 again, no extra time will be played but a penalty shoot-out will decide the matter.

Lublin coach Robert Lis is expecting another close affair on Sunday after his team fought back from two goals down with less than two minutes left last week.

“In Telde (Gran Canaria) our team showed incredible mentality, and I can only say that the result satisfies me, knowing that we have a second match coming,” he tells eurohandball.com. “It is also my personal achievement that we have created such a monster of a team."

Lis calls on all Lublin fans to support the team again.

“I would like to ask our fans to lead us to the home victory like they did in the semi-final against Ardesen GSK,” the coach says. “We will need this kind of crazy support to gain this necessary win.”

After triumphing in 2016, Rocasa Gran Canaria are striving to become the third team in the history of the Women’s Challenge Cup to lift the trophy twice.

Getting only a draw from their home match, Gran Canaria have it all to do in Poland and coach Yubal Moreno leaves no doubt that his team will fight for their chance.

“We fought hard in the first game but got 22:22 in the end,” he says. “We know that MKS Perla Lublin are a very good team with very good players. But we do have a chance if we can play like we did in the first match.”