Hannover seal narrow victory over Rabotnik

Teamwork and defensive discipline earned two points for TSV Hannover in the first round of Group B in the Men’s EHF Cup. Although the hosts began well, they still had to stay focused in the closing minutes as the Macedonian club put up a good fight against the odds.

• Both sides recorded a 67% shot efficiency in the first half
• Morten Olsen scored seven goals for the home side
• Hannover had four two-minute suspensions, while Rabotnik only recorded one

GROUP B
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (GER) vs HC Eurofarm Rabotnik (MKD) 24:21 (16:14)

Defence was the name of the game for Hannover, as they developed a two-goal advantage in the first half with the help of the freshly crowned Danish world champion Morten Olsen, who managed to net six out of seven shots.

Elmir Gradjan netted five to keep Rabotnik within shooting distance before the break, while in the second half it was Filip Kuzmanovski who provided the glimmer of hope for the Macedonian side.

Even though the visitors reduced the deficit to only one goal seven minutes before the end, the Hannover players kept their cool and won the match by conceding only seven goals in the second half.

Hannover head coach Carlos Ortega said his team's performance was not perfect.

"In defence we let them get to many open shots from six meters in the first half. We improved that in the second half which was the key to the victory tonight," he said.

"Our attack was good, even though we missed some good chances. The 5-1 defence from Rabotnik gave us problems in the second half, but in the end we made the important goals."