MATCH OF THE WEEK REVIEW: Flensburg take an important victory in the round 6 Match of the Week against Skjern Handbold, which takes them to fourth place on the Group B table
Impressive second half leads Flensburg to MOTW win
Between two teams in need of points in order to move up the VELUX EHF Champions League Group B ranking, the battle was a fierce one. Both teams’ defence was on fire in the first half, with goalkeepers Emil Nielsen and Benjamin Buric trading saves. As a consequence, the score was even at half-time. But Flensburg found the key to the visitors’ defence after the break while Skjern continued struggling against Buric, allowing Flensburg to take the two points.
"It was the right team who won today. We’re a little bit disappointed cause we missed our chance in the second half after a good first 30 minutes. So Flensburg is the deserved winner," said Skjern coach Ole Nørgaard after the game.
• Sunday’s loss is the second defeat for Skjern in the Matches of the Week this season, after the one at home against Paris in the previous round
• Holger Glandorf is the game’s top scorer with six goals for Flensburg; Eivind Tangen nets five for Skjern
• Flensburg are now fourth in Group B while Skjern remain fifth
GROUP B
MOTW: SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Skjern Handbold (DEN) 26:22 (10:10)
Neither side really took the upper hand during the first half, with both defensive systems well in place and effective. Even when the attackers found the solutions and created opportunities, the goalkeepers were in great form.
Despite Skjern enjoying the best start, leading by three after five minutes, the locals were quickly back on track thanks to Benjamin Buric’s saves. With two crucial saves near the end of the first half, Buric prevented the visitors from returning to the dressing room with any kind of advantage, instead keeping the two teams level at half-time (10:10).
Maik Machulla obviously found the right words during the break, as his team came back with better offensive options, while remaining efficient on defence. With Holger Glandorf and Hampus Wanne in top form, the locals created a five-goal advantage in just 13 minutes (19:14).
Despite Thomas Mogensen’s best efforts in front of his former team’s fans, Skjern were never going to recover from their disappointing phase. Rasmus Lauge Schmidt scored two important goals at the beginning of the last 10 minutes and, when Simon Hald Jensen added his team’s 26th goal just two minutes before the buzzer, it was decided that the two points would stay in Flensburg.
The Player of the Match trophy, presented by Betano CEO for Germany, Austria and Switzerland Christian Vorhauer, was awarded to Benjamin Buric.
TEXT:
Kevin Domas / cg