02.10.2007, 09:51
Vardar win opener

In their fifth attempt of FYR Macedonian Vardar pro, the team celebrate a win in the opening round of the Champions League group matches.

Vardar win opener

A 27-26 victory against Kadetten Schaffhausen gave Vardar the chance to fight for their objective, third place in the group stage that allows them to continue in the Cup Winners’ Cup.

One goal is not a huge advantage before next round over Schaffhausen, but at the moment Vardar celebrate their first two points. The next two games will be played abroad in Zagreb and Leon where Skopje are expected to meet the standards of these teams. It will be difficult to cause a surprise, but players will gain new experience for the future.

The match between the two sides was one full of tension and ups and downs. Vardar can be grateful for their back player, Nemanja Pribak, who secured the two points.

The game was only decided in the last moments: Marakovic scored for Kadetten to make it 25-25 one minute before the end. Pribak scored two goall quickly and the final result was 27-25.

"I'm satisfied with the victory, but not with the team play and performance. We did not show a smooth performance, made many technical errors and I couldn't find the reasons for that. Some of my players simply do not listen to my instructions.

“Nemanja Pribak adapts best to these situations. He usually shows his individuals kills in these situations,” said Veselin Vujovic, coach of Vardar pro.

Vardar started second halftime with five goals advantage at 18-13, but the home team could not concentrate well and Kadetten came back in the game after a 8-1 run that made it 21-20.

Coach of Kadetten Schaffhausen, Goran Perkovac, wasn't happy about his team’s performance.

"This was our weakest game since I'm coaching the team. We have many problems and I could only congratulate to Vardar,” said Perkovac.

TEXT: Goran Antevski