It really had everything, didn’t it? Not many would have bet against these two teams meeting in the final match of the VELX EHF FINAL4, just 24 hours earlier. FC Barcelona secured the victory after MKB-MVM gave the Liga ASOBAL outfit a run for their money until the very end 26:25 (10:9). A third place will do little to cheer up FC Barcelona for missing out on the final, following yesterday’s shocking defeat against SG Flensburg-Handewitt. On the other side, MKB-MVM Veszprem have every right to be proud of their first VELUX EHF FINAL4 performance, showing they can hold their own against the top European teams.
To each, their own
If anything, this 3rd placement match was well worth the admission fee to the LANXESS Arena, for the 20.000 handball–hungry fans, and a worthy introduction to the final match. Drama was not absent either, as 59 minutes into the match saw no clear winner, with 25:24 for FC Barcelona after and a ball for MKB MVM Veszprem, who was unable to convert it into a goal. FC Barcelona played the clock wisely this time, after time-out and a goal in hand. 21 seconds weren’t enough for MKB-MVM Veszprem to try and get their Spanish rivals into another extended period following a one-goal deficit, but they will have take heart from their first VELUX EHF FINAL4 performance- knowing only nuances separated them from the very best.
“I am proud of my team and my players and how they performed today. This game was about motivation and less about technical or tactical things,“ said Xavi Pascual, FC Barcelona coach, who praised his team’s motivation.
Despite being repetedly booed form the the fans in LANXESS Arena, Siarhei Rutenka made the difference for FC Barcelona, scoring eleven goals upon merely average showing in the semi-final.
“To be honest, this kind of pushes me even. I had so many wounds after yesterday’s match, black and blue marks everywhere. The more people were whistling, the more I woke up and got new power,” said the game’s top scorer.
Belarus wizard pulled the strings today, covering both left and right back positions, as well as pivot, in attempt of creating havoc in an otherwise strong and well-organized MKB-MVM Veszprem defence. Momir Ilić was up to the task once again, with seven goals to his name.
“The season was a big success, because we got to the FINAL4. It is a pleasure to be here, but we wanted to make more out of our chances. Today we fought until the end and so I’m proud of the team, because we showed courage even though yesterday’s match laid hard on us.”
Despite finishing last, Serbian National team captain will have something to be happy about after the final match, when he will officially become the Best Scorer of the VELUX EHF Champions League (it would take a highly unlikely 23 goals for his compatriot, Marko Vujin to take him down).
A sign of things to come
A great effort from the two defeated teams to get back into the match, and excel with an inspired performance like this.
“Yesterday’s result was something we didn’t expect. It was hard to get back here after this game, but we are the FC Barcelona, so we had to get back on our feet,” said Juanin Garcia, FC Barcelona left winger.
A relatively low-scoring first half saw MKB-MVM Veszprem take control of the court happenings, as FC Barcelona’s guns were kept at bay. It was a defensive battle, for the better part of the first period, and 3:3 the score mid-way trough the first period (10:9 at half time) before the second half saw a total of 32 goals.
“Barcelona is always fighting to win, not for a bronze medal. The hardest thing was waking up this morning and thinking about being in a match for the 3rd an 4th place and not in the final. I was playing for my friends today,” stated Viran Morros, Blaugrana left back.
This loss will motivate the Hungarian top-flight even further, to become a regular at the VELUX EHF Champions League season showdown. Barcelona will work even harder to rise up to the challenge of playing Bundesliga teams, who proved superior to the Liga ASOBAL outfit on more than one occasion
“The new season we will start more motivated than this year, because this year we lost the Champions league,“ said Kiril Lazarov, who hoped to win his first EHF Champions League trophy this season.
TEXT: NEMANJA SAVIC
