Chekhovskie medvedi have opened the first leg of the EHF European League Men Last 16 on Tuesday with an important home win over USAM Nimes Gard.

The Russian hosts trailed early on and were still behind at half-time, but ended the match with a decent 30:25 win, which gives them some buffer for the return match in France next week.

LAST 16, LEG 1

Chekhovskie medvedi (RUS) - USAM Nimes Gard (FRA) 30:25 (13:15)

• Nimes opened with a quick 4:1 lead and while the first half was balanced, they reached the break with a two-goal advantage
• both goalkeepers, Dmitry Pavlenko and Remi Desbonnet, excelled for at least a part of the match and Desbonnet finished the first half on a 46% save rate
• Chekhov quickly turned their half-time deficit into a two-goal lead and never looked back
• Alexander Kotov was crucial for the hosts in the second half, scoring nine times in total
• Artjom Grushko replaced Pavlenko in the second half and was an additional help in the Russian win with nine saves for a percentage of nearly 48.

It’s all about the Ks

The in-house band kept the spirits high in the Olimpiyskiy Hall - and so did the Chekhov players in the second half. Sergei Kosorotov, Alexander Kotov and Dmitriy Kiselev added to the fine result for the hosts, as the trio scored 20 goals in total. While Kiselev scored six and rising star Kosorotov five, the outstanding shooter was Kotov. This 26-year old right back was on fire with nine goals, seven of which in the second half.