17.11.2018, 07:52
Veszprém and Kielce take important home wins

GROUP A REVIEW: Veszprém avenged last week’s defeat against Kristianstad, while Kielce had to sweat for two points against Brest

Veszprém and Kielce take important home wins

There was no room for surprises in Group A, as both Veszprém and Kielce recorded wins in their home games.

The Hungarian side collected themselves after losing the reverse fixture and enjoyed their clearest win of the season against Kristianstad, while Brest mounted a challenge, but failed for the sixth round in a row.

• Kent Robin Tönnesen scored eight times for Veszprem
• Kielce leapfrog Löwen in the rankings with their sixth win of the season
• Blaz Janc scored six goals in the second half to help the Polish side win
• Brest are just one point ahead of Kristianstad and Montpellier

GROUP A
Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN) vs IFK Kristianstad (SWE) 36:27 (20:14)

On a three-game losing streak, Veszprém desperately needed a win to stop their rut and to boost their morale.

However, Kristianstad showed last week that they are no pushovers, completing a comeback against the Hungarian club to earn their first win of the season.

It was not the case this week. Veszprém finally looked back to their former selves, with a commanding display both in attack and in defence.

Coach David Davis described the win as "like a big block of chocolate", but added that the hard work would continue straight away ahead of next week's clash with Rhein-Neckar Löwen.

Kristianstad scored the first goal of the game and took an early lead, but a 5:0 run that followed for Veszprém was the key moment of the game and the Swedish side could never recover.

With 12 different outfield players on the scoresheet and with Norwegian right back Kent Robin Tönnesen in flawless form, the hosts jumped to a commanding 20:14 lead at half-time.

Having faced the Kristianstad comeback last week, Veszprém pressed heavily in the second half and never had any trouble, as their lead grew to nine goals.

Kristianstad coach Ola Lindgren afterwards acknowledged the power of the Veszprém attack.

"We hoped that we could stand up better in defence where we had problems," Lindgren said. "Veszprém found big spaces on our wall and scored from almost every position. We tried to score fast break goals to put them under pressure but they were too strong for us."

Ultimately, Veszprém took a 36:27 win that stopped their three-game losing streak. The Hungarian side remain fifth in the group, with eight points. Kristianstad are tied with Montpellier for seventh place.

PGE Vive Kielce (POL) vs HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) 34:31 (17:16)

On a five-game losing streak, Brest was facing a Kielce side which had expertly navigated an injury crisis during the first rounds, but had all their important players fit in time for the business end of the group phase.

It was only last week that Kielce recorded a nine-goal win against Brest, but this time around the Belarussian side looked rejuvenated and even contended for the win.

There were five lead changes in a hectic first half. Kielce drew the first blood, then faltered, but came back to control the game with a 17:16 lead at half-time, thanks to the efforts of the team’s top goal scorer, Alex Dujshebaev.

It quickly became a battle of two strong attacks that decided the game, as Kielce tried, but failed to open an important gap. Slovenian right wing Blaz Janc was particularly important with four consecutive goals in 10 minutes, but Kielce only had a 23:20 lead with 15 minutes to go.

While Brest may have pressed heavily, it was ultimately not enough. The Belarussian club lost their sixth game in a row, 34:31, and with Montpellier finally finding their form, Brest's Last 16 berth looks shaky.

TEXT: Adrian Costeiu/jh