14.10.2017, 04:20
Besiktas shock Motor in dying seconds; Bears lose again

GROUP D REVIEW: Zaporozhye drop a point in Turkey, whilst Metalurg look comfortable at bottom placed Medvedi

Besiktas shock Motor in dying seconds; Bears lose again

With Montpellier cruising at the top of VELUX EHF Champions League Group D, the battle between Besiktas and Zaporozhye was important in the race for second place.

The Ukrainian visitors showed improvement compared to their unexpected draw against Metalurg, but a Faruk Vrazalic goal in the dying seconds secured a point for Besiktas.

Elsewhere in the group, Chekhovskie Medvedi remain winless after a home defeat to Metalurg, who keep up the chase for a top two finish.

· Faruk Vrazalic scores the final goal to earn Besiktas a draw
· Chekhovskie Medvedi are off to their worst-ever start in the competition
· Joint-top scorer Ramazan Döne struggled with a single goal

GROUP D

Besiktas MOGAZ HT (TUR) vs HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) 28:28 (14:17)

Besiktas shared points with the Ukrainian champions after an exciting clash on Saturday afternoon, which saw Motor lose grip on a six-goal lead in the second half.

Half-time lead

Unlike last season at home, when Besiktas were winning 11:7 at the break, the Turkish champions were defensively vulnerable against the attacking power of Motor.

Motor looked unstoppable in the first 30 minutes and a three-goal deficit was flattering for Mufit Arin’s side, given the flow of play.

Best scorer dry out

The competition’s joint-top scorer Ramazan Döne was dealt with well by Motor and he was restricted to just the one goal, while his teammates did not help with numerous technical faults and turnovers in attack.

Last-second equaliser

However, handball is an unpredictable sport, played over sixty minutes. Nemanja Pribak showed one of the best individual performances of the season to claw Besiktas back into contention with his 13 goals.

It looked like the points were going to Ukraine as the visitors took the lead in the final minute, but the home crowd were left celebrating when Faruk Vrazalic levelled the score in the last second with a superb goal from right back.

Chekhvoskie Medvedi (RUS) vs HC Metaurg (MKD) 26:32 (15:15)

Fans in Russia witnessed a close fight between bottom placed Medvedi from Chekhov and Metalurg. An improved second half performance saw the Skopje club take their first away win of the season.

Positive streak

After defeats in the first two matches of the campaign, Lino Cervar resigned as the head coach of the team. Ever since, the Macedonian side have proven they can still have a say in this group.

Despite the absence of their captain Filip Kuzmanovski, Halil Jaganjac once again proved to be a very suitable replacement at left back. His nine goals for the visitors takes him to 35 for the season and he has well and truly announced himself on the European stage.  

Inconsistency over 60 minutes

While both teams were offensive-minded with strong back court performances, inconsistency and mental slip-ups appeared to cost Vladimir Maximov’s team dearly.

Metalurg improved their defence and added the adequate firepower in attack when needed, which was enough to forge ahead in the second half and claim victory.

TEXT: Tomas Cuncik / cor