23.02.2021, 10:35
Leon hand Plock their first defeat of the season

GROUP A REVIEW : Leon pulled out an impressive performance to defeat Plock for the first time this season

The situation was pretty simple for both teams before throw-off. Plock only needed a point, or for Chekhov not on win tomorrow in Toulouse, to secure the first spot of the group.

Until today, the Polish side had managed to pull off a perfect eight victories out of eight games, with the last one in the first leg against Leon last Saturday (29:22).

Leon, on the other hand, were under threat from Chekhov for second place. With the Russian side winning their last four games, they closed in on Leon and threatened to take over second place. In these conditions, a victory tonight was elemental for the Spanish team.

GROUP A

Abanca Ademar Leon (ESP) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) 32:27 (16:9)

• Leon outclassed their opponents in the first half, taking a five-goal advantage within the first ten minutes. Despite a timeout taken by Xavi Sabate, things did not get any better for the visitors, as the Spanish side increased the gap. And at the break, the locals were up by seven (16:9).
• Despite coming back on the court with better intentions, Plock were never in the position to close the gap on the scoreboard. The closest the Polish side came back in the game was three goals, at the 53rd minute. Way too late to expect to turn the situation around.
• After eight straight victories, Leon handed Plock their first defeat of the season in the European League
• The Polish side remains on top of the group while Leon remain second, three points ahead of Chekhov.

Plock completely outclassed in the first period

Do you slowly fall asleep after winning eight straight games? Only the Plock players have the answer to that question, but one thing is for sure: the Polish side did not throw in the necessary ingredients to expect a win tonight. On the other hand, Leon started the game sure of their strength and it seemed like Plock did not know how to answer that. Xavi Sabate’s speech at half-time made things change, but the damage was already done.

TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas