Late goals and hard learning make it into best quotes of the week

No shortage of thrilling matches in Round 4 of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Some ended in a draw, others were decided in the closing seconds - like at Wacker Thun, where Elverum were lucky (or talented) enough to score a buzzer beater and take both points.

For some other clubs, like Metalurg, a never-ending series of defeats is beginning to take its toll, prompting the coaches to get a little bit angry afterwards.

From the mixed zones to the press conferences, here are the five best quotes from last weekend.

5. Gintaras Savukynas, Riihimaën Cocks coach

“We have to realize we are in the Champions League. There is no room for relaxing, no room for mistakes. The opponent will take their chances immediately, as Dinamo did today.”

Started with back-to-back draws, Cocks have now suffered a second defeat in a row, at home against Dimano Bucarest. A narrow one, 32:31, but it didn’t really give their coach anything to be satisfied about. And he asks for his players to wake up.

4. Danilo Brestovac, HC Metalurg coach

“It pains me to see again that, as usual, the first 10 minutes of the second half were the worst ones, and that is where they built up their comfortable goal difference. We were making mistakes as in every match.”

Metalurg are bottom of Group C with zero points after another defeat, this time against Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (33:25). And Danilo Brestovac, their coach, was not too happy about seeing his players make the same mistakes they did in the previous rounds.

3. Ivan Cupic, HC Vardar right wing

“We showed these people who bought tickets that this so-called ‘new’ Vardar will throw themselves 100 percent into the game, give everything. Maybe tomorrow we will lose, we do not know, but I promise that until the end of the season we will fight.”

Who could have predicted that after four rounds and losing many important players this summer, Vardar would be undefeated in the VELUX EHF Champions League, and the only Group A team to have won all of its games? Ivan Cupic gives us the reasons why everything is going so well in Skopje.

2. Sven Krainer, Wacker Thun right wing

“The last goal from Elverum was very unlucky for us, but four seconds is a lot of time in handball.”

To lose by one goal is never easy. But to do so with your opponent scoring in the dying seconds is terrible. But Elverum were clever enough to find a way to score with only four seconds remaining on the clock, and Sven Krainer takes his hat off to them.

1. Simen Pettersen, Elverum Handball left back

“The last goal was like ‘close your eyes and shoot.’ It was a bit lucky, but I’m very happy we won.”

With all his partners running, it came down to Simen Pettersen to take the last shot for Elverum. And, being honest, he admits that sending it into the net was not only talent but a little bit of luck, too.