New handball year in Champions League started well for Kristianstad as they got out from the game against Kielce with a point. The match in Sweden ended up with a 35:35 draw.
First half started quite surprisingly. Kielce, being a favourite of this game, looked pretty helpless. Poor attack and defence made it just easier for the hosts and before the 5. minute passed, they were leading 5:1. Coach Duyshebaev couldn’t stand it and called for a timeout to call his team to order. The effect wasn’t immediate, although slowly but surely Polish team started catching up. Kristianstad stayed strong but two wasted penalty throws in a row and sloppy attacks allowed Kielce to equalise at 9:9 in 14. minute. Guests were much better in defence, and when Čupić gave his team 3-goal-lead in 22. minute (16:13), it seemed that things were going back on the right track for Kielce. Swedish team, however, didn’t lose their spirit. Kielce soon started playing poorly in attack again making attacker’s fouls and losing the ball while Gudmundsson scored time after time and with 5 minutes to go there was a 16:16 draw. In the very end of the first half though, thanks to Szmal’s save Kielce managed to gain 2-goal lead.
IFK Kristianstad – Vive Tauron Kielce 35:35 (17:19)
Kristianstad: Larsson L., Simic – Bjornsen 3, Lagergren, Larsson J., Dahlin 5, Jepson, Tollbring 4/2, Pettersson 5, Jamali 9, O`Sullivan 2, Nilsson, Hanisch, Eriksen, Lindskog, Gudmundsson 7.
Vive: Szmal, Sego – Buntić 8, Jurecki 4, Jachlewski, Zorman 4, Bielecki 1, Strlek 1, Cupić 6/3, Aquinagalde, Chrapkowski, Reichmann 9/4, Kus, Vujovic, Paczkowski 2.
Polish champions could’ve begun the second part much better but it wasn’t the best day of Bielecki who firstly lost the ball in attack and then missed the goal. Kristianstad on the other hand were much more precise and equalised at 19:19 after two minutes. Both teams surged back and forth throughout the second half. This part was also much better for both goalkeepers, Szmal and Larsson, who showed their reflexes more often. When the teams entered final phase of the match, the game became pretty fast and Swedish team started pushing ahead. In the 55. minute they led 32:29 and victory was for the taking. Kielce defence let Swedish players, especially Jamali, do whatever they wanted but the Polish team improved their scoring, and when Sego saved two throws, Jurecki gave his team hope for points by scoring at 35:35 with a minute to go. Even though referees gave Kristianstad much time, they didn’t managed to score. Having only 10 seconds, Kielce didn’t score either but they earned a penalty throw. The obvious candidate to execute it was Reichmann, who had a very good game and didn’t miss even once this evening so far, so it was almost unbelievable when he was denied by Simić. Young goalkeeper saved his team a point which – before the game – was quite unexpected but well deserved.
Top scorer for Kielce was Reichmann (9) and for Kristianstad – Jamali (8).
TEXT: Martyna Usnarska
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