Veszprém's sweet victory tops best quotes of the week

Sometimes, wins might not be that important sports-wise, but they can do a lot of good to the head. And that’s exactly what it felt like for Veszprém when they won against Kristianstad in the VELUX EHF Champions League on Saturday.

Also, last week's matches provided us with thrillers, fair play, and waking up champions.

Here are the five best quotes of Round 8:

5. Patrice Canayer, Montpellier HB coach

“We had our backs to the wall, but sometimes teams wake up when they find themselves in that situation.”

Montpellier had to wait until the beginning of the return phase for their first victory, which they got on Wednesday at home against Rhein-Neckar Löwen. This is the longest any reigning champion had to wait, but it seems that the fear of elimination was enough to get the French side’s players in the right direction.

4. Bruno Butorac, Tatran Presov right back

“These points are important for us but they don’t mean anything if we do not win in Moscow next week. So we have to look forward.”

Tatran Presov delivered one of the performances of the weekend, bringing the two points back from Silkeborg (30:29). But that doesn’t mean they have qualified for the play-offs yet, as they still have to win their two remaining games to secure a ticket. So their coach felt like he had to warn his players.

3. Hugo Canela, Sporting CP coach

“They were very tough but with a lot of fair play. As a coach and as a person who loves handball, I think that it is really good to watch this kind of games and this kind of respect in the game.”

Not only did Sporting get an important win at home against Chekhovskie Medvedi (33:31), their coach also appreciated their opponents’ attitude and gave them huge praise in the press conference.

2. Michael Apelgren, Elverum Handball coach

“Terningen Arena was fantastic, and I am really happy and proud that we still are in the race and able to go through to the next round.”

The game between Elverum and Bucuresti was one of the thrillers of the weekend, with the result being decided on a seven-meter throw after the buzzer. A draw would possibly have ended Elverum’s play-off hopes, but the late win has kept their chances intact. Which was enough to delight coach Michael Apelgren.

1. David Davis, Telekom Veszprém HC coach

“This month is difficult for everyone working here but we worked hard and this victory is like a big block of chocolate.”

After losing to IFK Kristianstad in Sweden last weekend, Veszprém turned the tables at home on Saturday, comfortably winning by nine goals (36:27). In the busy month of November, coach David Davis wanted to give everyone, from the players to the people in the office to the fans, something to cheer about. And this win was the perfect gift.