Troubles and triumphs in Round 7
Round 7 of the VELUX EHF Champions League provided us with some thrilling action as usual. We are well into the season now and while some teams are performing at their best, others don’t seem to be able to find their rhythm.
In this week’s talking points we cover the troubles, the triumphs and the historic moments from the past round.
Where are the champions?
There does not seem to be any end in sight to the troubles of reigning champions Montpellier HB in Group A. After picking up their first point of the season in Round 6, any momentum was crashed by Rhein-Neckar Löwen with a huge 37:27.
The French side has now beaten their worst-ever streak without a win, after six straight winless matches in February and March 2016. They are now the only team in Groups A/B without a win.
Meanwhile, the Mannheim Lions hold a 100% record at home and have won four of their last five games in the group.
New driver, same engine
David Davis has not gone through an easy spell in his first weeks as the head coach of Telekom Veszprém HC. Having taken over after their bad start of the season, the new driver has not been able to get much more out of the same engine.
Veszprém went for a visit to Kristianstad in Sweden in Group A, where the Swedish champions picked up their first win of the season (32:29) after a record nine games without a win before. Three points in their last two games have certainly brightened up the season in Kristianstad.
Davis said after the match that he needed to go back to the drawing board with his team. He must try to find other ways to get more out of the engine.
Best attack trumps the best defence
It was the battle of the best attack and the best defence in Groups A/B when HC Vardar hosted Barça Lassa. Going into Round 7, Barça had scored more goals than any other team in those groups (204) while no team had conceded fewer than Vardar (155).
This time, it was the attack that trumped the defence as Barca won by four goals, 30:26, and they are now on a 17-game winning streak in all competitions. The clash for the top spots remains extremely close in Group A, where three teams on 10 points trail the Catalan group leaders by two points.
The situation is quite different in Group B. Perfect record Paris Saint-Germain HB are in the lead with full house with MOL-Pick Szeged trailing by two points but no other team threatening to blend in at the top.
Dead-tight at the top
The battle in Group D is nail-bitingly close. Abanca Ademar Leon were on top before the round, but after a 35:30 loss against Dinamo Bucuresti on Thursday, the Romanian side took the lead.
That lead did only last until Saturday, when Orlen Wisla Plock beat Elverum Handball 30:28 to go top with an equal amount of points but better goal difference.
Only two points are between those top four teams in the group, with only three rounds left to play. It will surely be exciting until the end.
Historic moment in Riihimäki
We love to see history happen and that was certainly the case for Riihimäen Cocks. The Finnish champions earned the first win in their VELUX EHF Champions League history when Wacker Thun came for a visit in Group D, 31:29.
The debutants had previously lost four games and snatched two draws, but getting a first win over the line is a big moment.
Meanwhile, the wait is getting longer for Wacker Thun and they are still without a win after 17 tries in the EHF Champions League.
TEXT: Andri Yrkill Valsson / ew
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