Zagreb celebrate unexpected victory

After 12 years without a win against THW Kiel, HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb's young team have proved their talent should not be ignored.

Following an imperfect first half marred by problems in attack for Zagreb, the second period was a dream come true and showcased everything the team has been working on over the last few years.

"I don't know what to say now, I can't express this feeling – I feel like I'm flying. We've known that they are also ordinary men and that we can beat them if we play a perfect match, but to be honest I was not sure if Zagreb was ready for such a match. But obviously we are and I'm delighted," said Zagreb's right back Luka Stepancic, who played an important role in his team's success in the second half of the match, when he contributed four goals.

Then teenager, now captain

12 years ago, the perennial Croatian champions achieved an away victory in Kiel thanks to all the great names in its roster; Blazenko Lackovic was unstoppable with eight goals and Senjanin Maglajlija added seven. Current captain, Zlatko Horvat, who was then only 19, also played in the memorable match.

It is interesting how times have changed, with Horvat now being one of the oldest and most experienced players on the team.

"I have believed in this team from the very first minute. I've seen some of their (Kiel) season's results and I knew they are not the strong Kiel we played in the past," said Horvat.

Our only problem was that our young players have had more than enough respect for all Kiel's outstanding players and I felt like it was stopping them a bit. During half-time I tried to make them realise we can really do it, and we did. Amazing feeling!" added Zagreb's right winger.

Complete blackout

Domagoj Duvnjak never had the chance to play against THW Kiel while wearing Zagreb's jersey. Years in HSV Hamburg and strong competition played with the Croatian national team have seen him achieve the IHF World Player of the Year award and a transfer to Kiel where he works with a world-class team in an effort to climb to Europe's top once again.

But his former team and the outstanding atmosphere created by 11.000 spectators in the Arena Zagreb were too much even for a team like THW Kiel.  

"After the first half, it seemed like we had already won the match. The first five minutes of the second half were also great; we reached 10:15 in our favour, but then, complete blackout. Zagreb was playing extraordinarily in both attack and defence, Filip Ivic was outstanding in their goal, the crowd was on their feet, and I knew what was about to happen," said Duvnjak.

"Speaking for us, life goes on. Our goals remain the same – the season has just began and I believe we're capable of reaching great heights," he concluded.

Veselin Vujovic's suspension meant hosts' coach for this match was assistant coach, Zlatko Saracevic, who has experience against the giant German club. In the 1999/2000 season, THW Kiel and Badel 1862 Zagreb, as the club was then called, met in the semi-final and Saracevic scored seven goals in both matches.

"We did not play the best we could in the first 30 minutes, but the second half was just like we agreed. In my opinion, we played extraordinary handball in both attack and defence. I cannot even say how proud I am of my players. I believe this team has needed one big, huge win to show itself how good it is. Our biggest problem today in the first half was in our heads, not on the court. Coach Vujovic and I will now do our best to help our players realize that we still have not done anything, that this is only the beginning; and that is the hard part, to stay on top and keep playing great," added coach Saracevic.

Time to calm down and work even harder

Zagreb's defence was outstanding from the first through to the last minute; the home team was well prepared for Kiel's remarkable backs. Their 5-1 defence with Lovro Sprem at the front worked perfectly and was a key to their success, bringing them many easy goals in the second half with which they managed to catch THW Kiel and ultimately take control of the match.

Lovro Sprem knows the significance of the home team's win, but he also knows this is only the beginning.

"We have to calm down now and work even harder. We have finally showed what we can do; we showed what Zagreb can do. I can't explain the feeling we had at half-time because it was then we all realised we can beat Kiel, that we're ready for that. The crowd was amazing in the second half – they pushed us to our limits in attack and they were like an additional player in our defence. This feeling is amazing but I repeat, this is only the beginning," concluded Zagreb's left winger, Lovro Sprem.