Veszprém clinch first spot against Celje

Celje never looked like a team that was already out of the competition, the Slovenian champions put up a great performance in Veszprém but the home side eventually beat their opponents to claim first spot in Group C.

VELUX EHF Champions League Group C

MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO) 29:26 (15:10)

Veszprém had a much better start and took a 3:0 lead early on, but Celje quickly fought back and equalised. The young sides even had a shot at taking the lead at one stage.

The defences stood solid at both ends and the difference was Roland Mikler, who made a number of crucial saves for Veszprém as the home side gathered momentum and went ahead by four goals.

David Miklavcic and László Nagy were trading goals but the home side’s defense got the better of Celje and Veszprém led by five at the break.

The Slovenian champions, however, never lost their fighting spirit and once again it was an open game as the visitors were happy to capitalise on Veszprém’s technical errors in attack.

It took extra effort from the group leaders to finally break away from the excellent visiting side; Máté Lékai and Renato Sulic scored crucial goals but Celje remained in sight.



It was a great game right until the last minute as Veszprém proved too strong for the visitors, but a standing ovation from the sold out Veszprém Arena was for both teams.