Astonishing Chrintz stars as Kristianstad down title holders

There was no shortage of drama in a do-or-die game for both sides, but few could have imagined that the title holders Montpellier could find their undoing in the left arm of an 18-year old right wing.

Valter Chrintz capped off a superb eight-goal game with a magnificent goal to bring the Swedish side the win, 31:30.

• A 5:1 run from Kristianstad brought the win
• Melvyn Richardson’s 11 goals failed to secure victory for the hosts
• Chrintz also scored eight goals against Veszprém
• Montpellier are last in the group with three points

GROUP A
Montpellier HB (FRA) vs IFK Kristianstad (SWE) 30:31 (16:16)

Fresh from a home win against Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Montpellier knew that a bright start to the game could be the recipe for success. However, they could not replicate last week’s game and Kristianstad quickly took the match in their own hands.

However with Melvyn Richardson once again in superb form, scoring five times in the first half, the hosts kept their ground and tied the game after 16 minutes.

The lead changed hands four times in the first half as the title holders desperately tried to snatch their second win in a row, but it was still a draw at half-time.

A 3:0 Montpellier run to start the second half finally broke the predictable nature of the game, but it was far from over.

A plucky Kristianstad side knew that winning was their only chance to stay in the hunt for a Last 16 berth. A 5:1 run for the Swedish team turned the game on its head and gave Kristianstad the lead.

But the man with the plan was Valter Chrintz. The 18-year old right wing was superb in the dying seconds of the game.

With a man down, due to Stig Nilsen being suspended, Kristianstad took out their goalkeeper and brought the ball to Chrintz. He fooled Vincent Gerard with a superb shot to bring the Swedish side the win, 31:30.

Kristianstad are now tied with Brest for sixth place with five points, while the title holders are in a hole that they must dig themselves out of, lagging two points behind.

Montpellier's coach Patrice Canayer and captain Valentin Porte were brutal in their assessment of their performance.

"The results in the Champions League this season are an utter failure," said Canayer. "The club as a whole is in excellent condition, but this defeat is a cruel disappointment for the players and staff, in fact it’s a professional fault, and I’d like to apologise to all those who support us. We have to be strong enough to accept and bounce back from this failure, which is the failure of the players and staff and not that of the club."

Porte added: "Kristianstad showed a lot of character and more determination than us. We are disappointed, speechless at our level of performance in this Champions League where we have not showed our true image, nor that of a reigning champion."