From the start of the match, Russian side was dominant on the court, not giving a chance for Cocks to turn things around in their home venue. Chekhov got an early lead thanks to goalkeeper Dmitry Pavlenko and the Kotov duo - Alexander and Kiril - and kept upgrading it. Cocks did perform much better in the second half, closing the big gap, but not enough to get close to their first points.

GROUP B

Cocks (FIN) vs Chekhovskie medvedi (RUS) 27:33 (10:20)

• the away team took an early lead and was dominant in the first half; earning themselves a ten-goal lead at half-time
• on the Finnish side, Djordje Djekic and Teimuraz Orjonikidze were in the mood for scoring tonight
• Chekhov goalkeeper Dmitry Pavlenko ended the first half on 44% while his partner Artjom Grushko ended the night with ten saves
• Cocks woke up in the second half, closing the gap to three goals (25:28) thanks to Davor Basaric's goals and saves by Adrian Tenghea
• the Russian team had the stronger finish and with six goals of Roman Ostashchenko, took the win

Goalkeepers' night

Chekhovskie Medvedi had a good night in Finland, getting their hands on their first points in the competition ahead of the break. Even though they were in the lead, Cocks had a good second half showing and were narrowing the gap. The duo between the posts made sure no surprises happened. Dmitry Pavlenko had a good start; saving eight times, leaving him with a 44% save rate. Artjom Grushko replaced him later on, adding another ten saves, finishing with 37%. That’s 18 saves in total with a high combined percentage - 40 in total.