Bidasoa Irun had a strong start and an even stronger comeback in their group phase opener at TATRAN Presov in Slovakia – but it was not enough to win.

Presov’s South American connection and a 7:0 run either side of the half-time break were the keys for their close but deserved 27:25 win against the former EHF Champions League winners.

Two years ago, Irun won their Champions League group match at Presov and tied at home but Tuesday night saw TATRAN strike back for the first time.

GROUP A

TATRAN Presov (SVK) vs Bidasoa Irun (ESP) 27:25 (12:12)

• Brazilian-Cuban trio of Pavel Hernandez, Guilherme Linhares de Souza and Pedro Pacheco showed just how crucial they are for the hosts, scoring seven of the 12 first-half goals
• Presov had not been ahead between 1:0 and 10:9, with the 12:12 half-time score deserved
• Almost all first-half statistic figures were equal with nothing separating the teams, except a goalkeeper advantage for Presov’s Marcos Colodeti
• A 7:0 run either side of the half-time pause (11:12 to 18:12) saw TATRAN take the upper hand by the 39th minute
• Extremely strong defence and continued high performance from Colodeti helped maintain the impetus, the goalkeeper ending with 13 saves
• TATRAN veteran Oliver Rabek sealed the deal, netting 36 seconds before the end to make it a two-goal lead (26:24)

TATRAN’s special mixture paves the winners' way

Not many teams count on such an international mixture in their squad as TATRAN Presov. In the past, the Slovak champions were famous for being a melting pot for former Yugoslavia players, now the team of Croatian-born coach Slavko Goluza, they are boosted by players from Cuba, Brazil, Portugal and Spain.

With this influence they play in a completely different style with Pavel Hernandez, Guilherme Linhares de Souza, Pedro Pacheco and Sergio Lopez Garcia leading the way this evening, scoring 19 of 27 goals for the home side, backed up by Brazilian goalkeeper Marcos Colodeti, who was excellent all night.