Löwen still in hunt for second place
The Russian champions remain the only team without a win in this year’s VELUX EHF Champions League after a loss at the hands of German powerhouse Rhein Neckar Löwen (32:26)
VELUX EHF Champions League Group C
Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) 26:32 (14:18)
A win in Russia was a must for Nikolaj Jacobsen’s side as Rhein Neckar Löwen are up against HC Vardar for the second place in Group C.
As the Macedonians won against Montpellier on Saturday, Löwen had to recreate a similar result.
It looked like it was going to be a walk in the park for the German team after the first 20 minutes.
The hosts’ aggressive 3-2-1 defence system tried to limit Löwen’s powerful backs, however, this failed to pay dividends as the guests were leading by seven goals in the 23rd minute (17:10).
But in the next 20 minutes Löwen’s attacking prowess faded.
The high-tempo game exhibited by the Germans early on was now nowhere to be found with Medvedi pulling it back to a three-goal deficit (20:23) in the 40th minute.
However, as Löwen started to close the gaps in their defence, the momentum swung in the Germans favour once again.
An inspiring performance from Bastian Rutschmann saw the Russians go without a goal for 11 minutes, while Löwen scored five goals in a row to take their sixth victory (32:26) after nine matches in Group C.
Jacobsen’s players are now focusing on the home game against HC Vardar, which will take place next Saturday.
TEXT: Adrian Costeiu / bc
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