09.02.2019, 11:05
La Rioja take first win in Group A

GROUP A REVIEW: A solid defence proved key to Logroño La Rioja's five-goal home victory over Balatonfüredi

La Rioja take first win in Group A

BM Logroño La Rioja took the first win in Men’s EHF Cup Group A over Hungarian club Balatonfüredi. After a tight start to the game, the hosts put their foot to the pedal before the break and carried on pushing in the second half, enjoying up to a 10-goal advantage before finishing with their first win of 2019, 29:24.

• Balatonfüredi’s Balasz Szöllösi was the game’s top scorer with eight goals
• Javier Munoz Cabezon scored six times for La Rioja
• The biggest lead of the game was 10 goals

GROUP A
BM Logroño La Rioja (ESP) vs Balatonfüredi KSE (HUN) 29:24 (14:9)

The suspense only lasted fifteen minutes in Logroño before La Rioja left back James Junior Scott helped his team to find their form and regain the lead which Balatonfüredi took in the early stages.

The Spanish club’s defence only conceded one goal in the last 10 minutes of the first half, while Javier Cabezon was pushing on fast breaks, allowing La Rioja to go back to the dressing room with a comfortable 14:9 lead.

The second half was pretty much a follow-up to the end of the first, with La Rioja widening the gap, to the point of being 10 goals ahead 10 minutes from the end of the game.

Despite Balasz Szöllösi’s best efforts, Balatonfüredi only managed to shorten the gap in the final minutes of the game, when the victory was already decided. Winning by five goals, 29:24, La Rioja are the first leaders of the EHF Cup Group A.

TEXT: Kevin Domas/jh