Zaporozhye seal victory in Switzerland

A late comeback was not enough for Kadetten Schaffhausen in this Thursday evening tie. The Ukrainian side capitalised on mistakes made by the Swiss side in attack. This win for Motor puts them now in fourth position with four points behind Aalborg in Group D.

VELUX EHF Champions League Group D

Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) vs HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) 32:37 (14:18)

The Ukrainian side leaves Switzerland with two vital points in their quest to take a spot in the Main Round of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Kadetten were not exactly easily beaten as the score suggests, but the Swiss side lacked concentration during some decisive moments in this tie - leaving them trailing for large parts of the match.

From the off it was a fairly cagey encounter with both sides suffering equally from some defensive errors. This start was reflected on the score board with both teams remaining neck and neck for early parts of the first half. However, once Kadetten pulled it level once again at 12:12, the Ukrainian side went on to rack up an impressive 6:2 run in the last minutes of the first half. Motor made the most of Kadetten's lack of composure in attack, who gave the ball away easily on serveral occasions.

From the start of the second half, Kadetten came flying out of the gates, and again found themselves stretched in attack gifting the Ukrainians with further fast break opportunities. Motor made the most of this and started to net almost every opportunity presented to them by Kadetten.

Approaching the 43 minute mark, and with Motor taking a 27:18 lead, it looked as if the match was as good as done, however, the Swiss side managed to find some composure and with the help of veteran goalkeeper Nenad Puljezevic, they managed to reduce the deficit.

Manuel Liniger pulled it back to 27:29 with 10 minutes left on the clock, mounting a late comeback for Kadetten. Motor replied with two quick goals maintaining a lead of three. It was Richard Stochl – who pulled off an impressive 15 saves in total – who proved key in the final minutes, managing a crucial save from a break by David Graubner. The Ukrainians went on to increase their lead to five in the closing few minutes trumping the late rally.

Key players in the win for Motor were Sergii Burka, who left the court with an impressive 8 goals to his name along with Oleg Skopintsev who managed to net six.