Filip Taleski seals win for Metalurg over TATRAN Presov

Metalurg Skopje beat TATRAN Presov to stay in the dramatic race for the second play-off spot in Group C. After Round 8, the Macedonian side are trailing La Rioja by a single point going into a direct clash of these two next week in Logrono. Presov are not out yet, but the chances of advancing are very low provided all results play in their favour.

• Metalurg are third with eight points, trailing La Rioja by a point
• Filip Taleski the top goal-scorer with ten goals
• Presov could not build on the promising opening ten minutes
• Darko Arsic and Igor Chupryna both deserve a praise for their goalkeeping performance

Metalurg Skopje (MKD) vs TATRAN Presov (SVK) 26:20, 11:10

Lino Cervar confirmed their rising form in the most prestigious European competition. After surprising win in Elverum, Darko Arsic and Filip Taleski guided the Macedonian team to a 26:20 win.  

Goalkeeping factor

Igor Chupryna showed again his importance for TATRAN Presov. He was a wall in the opening minutes. Additionally, he scored twice in the first half himself into the empty net, as the play with extra man did not pay off for the hosts. However, Darko Arsic stole the show in the second half. After the break, the goalkeeping factor was one of the influential factors of the game, since Chupryna had a difficult job with a 4 -2 non-efficient Presov defence.

Ten minutes dry out

It took the opening ten minutes of the first half for Filip Taleski to score the first goal for Metalurg. The Macedonian left back found his form against Presov and his presence in offence with 10 goals was significant. Moreover, his defensive contribution together with Obradovic created problems for Presov.

Tactical battle

Lino Cervar’s men did not benefit from the extra man on the court in the first half, since they conceded a goal twice. On contrary in the second half, the 7 on 6 with the extra man for Metalurg worked very well against the 4 – 2 defence of TATRAN Presov. In fact, it can be described as the main talking point of the match, since Presov lost their momentum in attack and were easily out-played by Metalurg.  Obradovic once again was positioned on the line with transition into the left back position provided support for Taleski’s firepower.

Lack of support

Presov were struggling on offence, as Oliver Rabek did not have the support from Krok, Urban or Peskov. But even Rabek’s efficiency was not as high, provided by his 35% efficiency. Combined with reliable Arsic, Metalurg could get into the deciding lead in the second half. TATRAN did not handle the match well mentally after falling behind.

Post-Match Comments:

Rastislav Trtik, the Coach of TATRAN Presov: We had some problems with injured players, but this was a good game. We lost our chance to progress, but Metalurg managed to stay alive for the second round. We didn't show what we expected. We didn't scored goals from the back positions and our defence wasn't strong. Metalurg had an excellent goal keeper and excellent new players.

Viacheslav Sadoviy,Tatran player: We saw a very good game from Metalurg. We came for 2 points, but we leave with none. It was not easy to play here, especially after Metalurg made the scoring run and kept the deference untill the end of the game.

Filip Talevski, Metalurg player: This was a very good game for us and a very important victory. We managed to play on a high level throughout the whole game and Darko Arsic gave us the difference with his saves on the goal line. This victory is for Filip Kuzmanovski, who got injured at the begining of the match.

Lino Cervar, the Coach of HC Metalurg: I am happy for the victory, but also sad because of the injury of Filip Kuzmanovski. This will be a big blow to our team and to the national team of Macedonia. But, we must hold our heads high and pray that the injury is not so serious. We managed to play a good game and to get the two points that keep us in the race for the second round.