25.02.2021, 10:00
Thirteen is no lucky number for Zagreb

GROUP B REVIEW: Home debut of new coach Ivica Obrvan against Veszprém ends with another defeat

It was definitely a much better performance compared to their 25:37 defeat in the first leg, but again, HC PPD Zagreb (without injured goalkeeper Matej Asanin) were left with no chance against their old rivals Telekom Veszprém HC, who took their tenth victory in the 14^th duel with Zagreb. 

While the hosts remain on zero points after the 28:35 on Thursday night, Veszprém are confirmed as runners-up behind Barcelona. In the current projections, they would face Vardar in the play-offs. In Round 13, no home side took a victory in this group, Nantes’s 24:24 was the only home point. 

GROUP B

HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) vs. Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN) 28:35 (11:17) 

• After their ninth victory in 13 matches, Veszprém are second with 19 points. 
• The match was more or less equal until the score of 6:7 - then Zagreb missed from nine minutes and Veszprém pulled ahead on a 5:0 run. 
• The smallest gap after the break was three goals at 17:20, then Veszprém decided the match with another three unanswered for 26:20. 
• Veszprém’s Vladimir Cupara won the duel of Serbian goalkeepers against Todor Jandric by 10:7 saves. 
• After his six goals at Zagreb, Veszprém’s line player Andreas Nilsson is only one strike shy of his 50^th season goal. 

Third coaches tries his luck at Zagreb 

After Igor Vori was sacked quite early in the season, Vlado Sola had taken over HC PPD Zagreb - but the former goalkeeper could not change the downswing and parted company with the Croatian record champions last week. Since the away match at Nantes, Ivica Obrvan has been at the helm of PPD - for his second stint after 2010-2012. He took over PPD right after he had started to work as national team coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which he will continue do alongside. 

TEXT: EHF / Björn Pazen