11.02.2021, 08:20
Szeged take crucial win against Porto

GROUP A REVIEW: Szeged kept their hope of climbing the rankings alive after delivering an excellent performance to pick up the points versus Porto with a 35:31 win

Can Szeged make a comeback after their worst ever start in the EHF Champions League Men? This question is a big one for the rest of the group phase. The Hungarian side are sixth in the group and count six points following a 35:31 victory against FC Porto on Thursday evening.

With Porto and PSG now only two points ahead, Szeged have taken an important step towards the group’s higher positions.

In the first leg between the two sides, Porto won at home by six, 25:19.

GROUP A
MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) vs FC Porto (POR) 35:31 (18:12)

• just like in Kielce on Tuesday, Porto completely failed to deliver in the first half. Thanks to Mirko Alilovic between the posts and Bence Banhidi, who scored six in the first 30 minutes, Szeged built their advantage to reach half-time with a lead of six goals
• while Szeged retained their advantage until the last quarter, Porto came back within three, even reducing the gap to two goals – but three straight saves from Alilovic put his team back on track
• from then on, Szeged could not be caught again, as they scored a couple of goals in the empty net to secure the two points
• thanks to this win, Szeged remain sixth in the group but move up to six points – just two points behind Porto

Experience the key for Szeged

One often says that experience is the key in the Champions League – sometimes even more than talent. Against Porto, it seemed Szeged’s veterans Jonas Källman and Mirko Alilovic know that very well. With four goals in under 20 minutes for the former and four saves in the first quarter for the latter, both were critical in putting the Hungarian side on the right track tonight.

TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas