Irun save a point after superb comeback; Sävehof secure second in group C 

Saturday was an important day in group C of the Velux EHF Champions League, TATRAN Presov were leading by six-goals with 11 minutes to go, but Bidasoa Irun mounted an amazing comeback to salvage a point, after a 27:27 draw. In the other match in the group Sävehof pushed their way past Cocks 

Bidasoa are still first in the group, with 12 points, but they now have only a two-point gap ahead of Savehof, as Presov’s chances for an elimination play-off berth are becoming slimmer by the round. IK Sävehof controlled the whole match against Cocks and won two points at home with a strong-minded game plan which they executed perfectly.

• TATRAN’s left back, Lukas Urban, was the best scorer of the game, with seven goals, while Bidasoa’s Leo Renaud-David scored six times

• Bidasoa travel to Finland next week to meet Cocks, while Presov host Sporting in a must-win game

• Sävehof’s Christoffer Brännberger finished as top scorer in the match with 6 goals 

• With this win the Sävehof secured second place in Group C

• Sporting beat several club records in defeating Rabotnik 36:26

GROUP C

Bidasoa Irun (ESP) vs TATRAN Presov (SVK) 27:27 (12:15)

Defence was key in Bidasoa’s quest for perfection this season, with the Spanish side boasting the fewest number of conceded goals in the competition, 144 in the first six games, an average of just 24 goals per game.

The attack was complementary up until this point, but it was slow to start the game against TATRAN, as the Slovakian side jumped to a 6:3 lead with the hosts struggling during an eight-minute goalless stint.

A well-taken time-out from Irun’s coach, Jacobo Cuetara, instilled some defensive spirit into his side, while correcting a fair bit of his team’s attacking issues, with French left back Leo Renaud-David scoring three times in eight minutes to cut Presov’s lead, 9:8, after 23 minutes.

TATRAN then took a time-out of their own which kick-started another run from the Slovakian team, who relied heavily on left back Lukas Urban. TATRAN boasted a 15:12 lead at the break, which is only the second time this season that Bidasoa have been trailing after 30 minutes this season.

The Spanish side, a robust and physical team, have performed better in the second half in previous games this year, however it looked like that was not the case this time.

Despite Kauldi Odriozola Yeregui’s efforts, Irun struggled to stop Presov’s attack, as their goalkeeping efficiency was down to a measly 23 per cent after 45 minutes.

With a four-goal cushion, 21:17, Presov were starting to think about a third win in a row and another time-out for Irun did not help the hosts.

Presov led by as many as six goals, 25:19, but only scored once between the 49th and 58th minute to help Irun get back into the game, 26:25.

An 8:2 run to end the game was enough to preserve Bidasoa’s unbeaten status, with the Spanish side now sitting at the top of the group with 12 points, with five wins and two draws. Meanwhile, Presov still sit in fourth with only five points.