16.02.2021, 08:15
Chekhov move up the rankings thanks to second win over Fivers

GROUP A REVIEW: Chekhov pulled out an amazing offensive performance in the first half to put themselves on the tracks to victory over Fivers tonight.

Only once did Chekhov win an away game this season in the European League, and that was the first leg of their confrontation against Fivers in Austria (32:30).

Since then, the Russian side gathered two other points to stand at the third position in the group, level with Fivers, both teams with four points.

GROUP A

Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) vs Fivers (AUT) 32:30 (19:12)

• The Russian side clearly had the upper hand in the first half. After five minutes played, it was already up by three, thanks to Sergei Kosorotov. If the young left-back netted four times in the first half, his teammate Dmitry Korneev scored six, and in his wake, Chekhov had control of the game at the break, leading by seven.
• If Fivers played better on both sides of the court after the break, the Austrian side missed too many shots to be able to reduce the gap to less than four-goals, the minimum advantage they had in the second half.
• Thanks to this win, Chekhov are now third of the group with six points, while Fivers remain fourth with four points.
• The Russian side will play again this weekend, in Skopje against Metalurg.

A golden goalkeeper pair for Chekhov

Two players stood out for Chekhov tonight. Or, more exactly, two goalkeepers, as the pair saved shots across the game. If Dmitry Pavlenko, in the first half, delivered seven saves, Artjom Grushko was elemental for the Russian side after the break. 11 saves at a 42% efficiency rate, now that is a performance. The 27 years old prevented Fivers from coming back in the second half and secured two very important points for his team. Goalkeeping is definitely a team effort in Chekhov!

TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas