02.04.2021, 11:20
Malaga hope to build on away success

SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: The second leg of the Spanish derby will determine which team will meet Lokomotiva Zagreb in the final

While Lokomotiva Zagreb have reached the final of the EHF European Cup Women, their future rivals will be named on Saturday when the second-leg semi-final between Rincon Fertilidad Malaga and Club Balonman Atletico Guardes takes place at 19:00 CEST. 

In the first-leg match, Malaga defeated Atletico Guardes 23:18 away and now their goal is to defend the advantage at home.

• in Pontevedra, Malaga were dominant throughout the match and claimed a well-deserved win
• Malaga goalkeeper Mercedes Castellanos played a huge game, recording 16 saves for a 59 per cent efficiency
• neither Atletico nor Malaga have reached the final of any European competition in the past
• both teams played Spanish league matches on Wednesday, but, while Atletico narrowly defeated Elche Mustang 24:23, Malaga lost against Rocasa Gran Canaria 23:25
• the second semi-final tie between Lokomotiva Zagreb and Yalikavakspor was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions and the Croatian side proceeded to the final

Balance has changed

In the 10 most recent mutual meetings, across all competitions, Atletico Guardes have won seven times and Malaga twice, while one more match ended in a draw.

However, this season, the balance of power has changed. In early March, Malaga beat Atletico 27:21 in a Spanish league game, and some weeks later, they were the stronger side again in the European Cup first-leg semi-final.

The second-leg semi-final will be streamed live on EHFTV. 

TEXT: EHF / Sergey Nikolaev