HC PPD Zagreb came close to their first EHF Champions League group phase points of the season on Thursday, but in the end HC Motor celebrated another victory, 29:25.

Thanks to a top-class performance of Artem Kozakevych, who scored 10 times, Motor extended their successful run to 10:0 points. They are now just one short of their longest winning run in the competition: six matches in the 2016/17 season.

GROUP B:

HC Motor (UKR) vs HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) 29:25 (13:13)

• Motor are one match shy of their longest winning run of six, from the 2016/17 season
• Zagreb have now lost seven straight matches for a third time, after 2012/13 and 2019/20
• Motor scored five straight goals from 5:4 down but had lost that advantage again by half-time
• Zagreb led by two early in the second half but a 7:2 series for the hosts (from 16:18 to 23:20) turned the match in Motor’s favour
• Zagreb’s Vlado Matanovic scored eight goals but it wasn’t enough to avoid the defeat

From beach to indoor – the rise of Artem Kozakevych 

Before Thursday’s duel with Zagreb, Artem Kozakevych (28) was only Motor’s sixth best scorer in the competition, with 21 goals. He netted eight times in the team’s recent 37:34 defeat to Veszprém but out-did himself with a 10-goal outing, including five penalties, against Zagreb.

The Ukrainian international team is excelling at indoor courts after a glorious career on sand - becoming silver medallist with Ukraine as runners-up to Brazil at the Beach Handball World Championships 2012.