Russia - Bosnia and Herz. 37:25
Greece – Hungary 21:27
Estonia – Norway 25:33
Croatia – Finland 39:20
Israel – Slovenia 28:36
Latvia - Czech Republic 31:34
Spain – Cyprus 32:20
Germany – Bulgaria 42:11
Faroe Islands – Serbia 20:41
Poland – Montenegro 30:20
The two Hungarian CL sides did not have much time to rest before the upcoming group matches. Szeged hosted Veszprémin the Hungarian league.
Szeged has been unlucky with injuries and illnesses in the last few weeks. Coach Vladan Matic had to use many young players to replace the missing Andjelkovic, Laluska, Nenadic and Stamate.
Though both teams were unbeaten before the game in the league, the CL games were far not so easy for the Hungarians. Szeged lost two home games against Rhein-Neckar and Zagreb, while Veszprém suffered a shock-defeat in Iceland.
With all this in mind, both teams needed a victory to boost their confidence. Veszprém were visibly in better physical condition and they took the initiative right from the beginning. It was Osmajic to keep Szeged in the game and the hosts could come back to one goal on several occasions. At the same time, Szeged had no chance against the quick counter attacks of the guests.
It was 12-16 at half-time. Eklemovic&Co. Did not allow Pick closer after the break. Szeged were struggling to find the gaps in a very tall defensive wall and they needed to fight hard all the time. Coach Mocsai could rely on more substitutes and they defeated Szeged that was very tired in the last 10-12 minutes. In the endgame the guests could even practise a few tactical variations and took a 26-30 victory.
Regarding the future: MKB Veszprém seem to be in good form to taget the qualification from Group F, while Pick Szeged have set a new target: a Cup Winners’ Cup place in Group F.
TEXT: Juhász Judit
