15.10.2007, 01:20
Perkovac outwits Cervar

Schaffhausen have beaten CO Zagreb. The Croatians are unable to overcome their crisis.

Perkovac outwits Cervar

Kadetten Schaffhausen won against Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje by 31:27 (14:17). The Swiss team got more than expected and the Croatians showed their weaknesses once again.

In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Goran Perkovac won Gold Medal with the Croatian national team as a player. Back then he made millions of Croatian fans happy. Now, his team Kadetten Schaffhausen defeated Zagreb and he made the same fans sad. Goran Perkovac can be proud of both achievements. Once again he showed that he was not only a great player, but also a great coach who can make a difference.

Great Lazarov

The Croatians started well and took a 0:4 lead. With Lazarov who scored goals and with the saves of Jerkovic, Zagreb ended the first half with a three-goal advantage, 14:17.

Turnover by Jurca

In the second half Schaffhausen were coming closer. Perkovac put the Romanian back player, Rares Jurca – former Zagreb player – in the right wing position, which surprised Cervar and his team. Jurca showed a great performance and the Swiss took a 25:24 lead. In the rest of the match, the Swiss team showed greater dedication and motivation.

The sad truth for the Croatians was that after a great performance in the first half, Lazarov simply got tired. There was nobody else in the Croatian team to take responsibility in the second half.

Lazarov was top scorer of the match again. Nicolae scored six for the Swiss team while Jurca and Liniger scored five (all of them in last six minutes).

Schaffhausen at their best

Goran Perkovac, coach of Kadetten Schaffhausen: “I was mad at first because at the start we were very much impressed by our rivals and we showed too much respect.The last 20 minutes were our best 20 minutes ever – especially regarding the performance of our backs. We simply showed that we want to win at any cost.”

The Swiss can be very satisfied. With this win they are on second position of Group C with three points so far.

Two defeats, and one draw from three matches played is definitely a disappointment for Zagreb. The Croatian champions are on the last place of Group C and the main round of the CL seems very far now. Cervar and his team, Croatia Osiguranje, seem to be “lost in the fog” right now. They will have a hard time to find the path to achieve the club’s main goal, passing to the group stage.

TEXT: Ivan Ambros