Kiel down plucky Besiktas as Djukić shines for hosts

THW Kiel consolidated fourth spot in Group A of the VELUX EHF Champions League with a comfortable win at Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu, who produced a spirited performance on home court. In the Last 16, Kiel await the fifth-ranked team from Group B.

GROUP A:
Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu (TUR) vs THW Kiel (GER) 27:32 (14:17)

The German giants might have expected a somewhat easier win at the section’s bottom team Besiktas, but the Turkish title holders matched their more illustrious rivals in every department after falling behind early in the game.

Kiel carved out what proved to be a decisive 7:3 lead in the opening exchanges, when it seemed the David-versus-Goliath clash would turn into a lop-sided contest.

However, the hosts thrived in a free-flowing game as their trio of Tolga Özbahar, Ramazan Döne and Darko Djukić kept finding chinks in Kiel’s defensive armour, allowing Besiktas to cut the deficit to 11:9 midway through the first half.

Kiel pressed hard enough to stay in the driving seat, though, thanks to a balanced attack in which Marko Vujin stood out with five goals in the opening period.

The second half was pretty much a carbon copy of the first, with Besiktas fighting hard to stay in touch and keeping the scoreline respectable, thanks to Djukić who was in blistering form.

The Serbian winger netted a game-high nine goals from 15 attempts, carrying his team throughout the contest and even more so after Döne limped off injured in the closing stages.

He lit up the contest with a spectacular in-flight goal as Besiktas slashed the deficit to 28:25 with several minutes left, but Kiel held firm to come away with two points from an entertaining contest.

Döne scored seven goals for the hosts and Tolga added four, all of them in the first half.

Vujin topped Kiel’s scoring chart with six goals from eight shots, Dener Jaanimaa bagged five, while Joan Canellas, Niclas Ekberg and Germany’s EHF EURO 2016 winner Rune Dahmke rifled in four each.