Relentless Relentless Veszprém avenge home loss against Löwen
Veszprém had the worst start between this clash of two VELUX EHF Champions League powerhouses, but the Hungarian side showed signs of life after earning their second win in five days.
This time, David Davis’ side brought everything they had against Rhein-Neckar Löwen and took a 29:25 win in Mannheim, as the German side went down to their first home loss of the season in Europe's premium club competition.
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Löwen had their worst attacking outing of the season, scoring just 25 goals with a 45% shot efficiency
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Kentin Mahe was Veszprém’s top scorer with six goals, while Danish centre back Mads Mensah Larsen scored the same for the hosts
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Veszprém tied Löwen in the group rankings, with 10 points from nine games
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The Hungarian side host Montpellier next week, while Löwen try and stop their losing streak against Kristianstad
GROUP A
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs Telekom Veszprem HC (HUN) 25:29 (13:14)
A surprising loss against Montpellier last week could have been sweetened by Löwen if they had won against Veszprém in this match-up, but Nikolaj Jacobsen’s side failed to stop their two-game losing streak in all competitions.
The German side started once again with a goal from line player Jannik Kohlbacher - a play that has become the norm for them during their first possessions, but Veszprém did exactly what they needed to do against a strong Löwen attack and slowed down the tempo, taking a 3:1 lead and never looked back in the first half.
Veterans Andre Schmid and Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson could only combine for one goal from eight shots for the hosts, who looked to other players to make their mark, but they could not stop a rejuvenated Kentin Mahe for the team from Hungary.
The French playmaker scored five times in the first half to help Veszprém take a 14:13 lead, but the 'Lions' were definitely not out of contention, althought their meagre 45% shot efficiency was their worst outing of the season to date.
A fine-tune to the German attack saw the hosts take the lead for the first time in the 34th minute, to make it 16:15, but a beefed-up Veszprém defence stunned the SAP Arena, as they embarked on a 4:0 run which took them up to a four-goal (21:17) lead and left Löwen with a mountain to climb - everything pointed to the first home loss for the Lions this season and that is exactly what happened.
With Schmid, Alexander Petersson and Sigurdsson in dire form, scoring three goals between them from 17 shots, Löwen had no chance to attempt a comeback and eventually lost 29:25.
The win meant Veszprém, who earned their second victory in a row, tie the German side for fourth place in the group and now own the tiebreaker between them, after losing the first game, by just one goal, 29:28.
"In the Champions League you want to win the home games so I am disappointed with the loss," said Nikolaj Jacobsen, coach of Rhein-Neckar Löwen, "But I saw many good things today - things that improved from our last games and we have to continue with our work and I am sure we will be back on the right way soon."
TEXT: Adrian Costeiu/amc
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