Historic records appear in best quotes of the week

They had come close several times before, but on Sunday Riihimaën Cocks finally earned their first ever victory in the VELUX EHF Champions League - also a first for any team from Finland.

But some other clubs, including Tatran Presov, broke records as well.

It was not all about setting milestones, though. Some teams fought hard and were not rewarded, such as SG Flensburg-Handewitt. And even the ones which did win, like Barça Lassa, know that this is no guarantee for the return leg next weekend.

Here are the five best quotes from Round 7:

5. Xavi Pascual, Barça Lassa coach

“I think that next week will be different, because Vardar never surrender.”

Xavi Pascual is experienced enough to know that two games against the same team can be very different. And Barça Lassa may have won in Skopje (30:26) to take the lead in Group A on Sunday, they still have to be careful going into the return leg at home next Saturday.

4. Lasse Svan, SG Flensburg-Handewitt right wing

“When you play against one of the toughest teams in the world, you need to be at your best during 60 minutes. We were during 55. We are a bit disappointed but proud as well.”

Lasse Svan can be disappointed as his team nearly stole the show in Paris, leading for more than 50 minutes. But Flensburg get another chance, hosting PSG on Wednesday, and there was obviously some good to retain from their trip to France.

3. Ola Lindgren, IFK Kristianstad coach

“We are really happy with this win. Last week we had a good performance against Montpellier and that gave us the confident to win this game.”

Ola Lindgren has every right to be happy. Kristianstad beat Veszprém on Saturday (32:29) and are now seventh in the group, two points ahead of Montpellier. More importantly, they have now had two straight games without a defeat and can still hope for a Last 16 ticket.

2. Slavko Goluza, Tatran Presov coach

“Congrats to my players for their historic achievement today: collecting the most points in a single Champions League season in Tatran history.”

Slavko Goluza knows how important Presov’s win against Besiktas (27:23) on Saturday was. They can still hope to qualify for the group stage knockout. And with 10 points, they also got the club’s best record in any EHF Champions League season. And it may not be over yet.

1. Teemu Tamminen, Riihimäen Cocks left wing

“If you write a piece of history, it is always a big thing. This is definitely the biggest win in my club career.”

After two draws earlier in the competition, Riihimäen Cocks have finally grabbed their first ever victory in the VELUX EHF Champions League. It was also the first for any Finnish team. A true moment of history and captain Teemu Tamminen couldn’t hide his satisfaction.