Point disadvantage for the 2nd leg of the 1/2 Final
TBV commits a series of errors in game against La Rioja
Following a good opening phase, TBV got itself into a tight spot and lost 25:30 (11:13) to Naturhouse La Rioja.
Volker Mudrow started off the 1st leg of the EHF European Cup with Martin Galia in goal and Jens Bechtloff, Michael Kraus, Martin Strobel, Holger Glandorf, Florian Kehrmann and Sebastian Preiß in play. Bechtloff and Kraus switched with Daniel Kubes and Ferenc Ilyés in defence, as usual. La Rioja began with extremely offensive cover, although Kehrmann was entirely free in the first offensive and netted the first goal of the game (1:0). Kraus then followed up with a second goal into the lower right-hand corner to make it 2:0 (2nd min.).The Spaniards had some difficulty getting into the game and Rodriguez scored the first goal for the hosts’ in the 4th minute (2:1). Kraus subsequently netted a penalty throw and Bechtloff got in a nice shot from the outside left to bring TBV into the lead (4:1; 5th min.). Any real threat from the Spaniards’ offensive initially only really came from brawny Rodriguez on the pivot who slammed a third goal into the net for the Spaniards in the 7th minute (4:3).
Emotions were running high in the Palacio de los Deportes, and the level of noise was deafening. After the really good opening phase in the offensive, TBV then experienced several moments of weakness, and Amargant equalised in the 10th minute to bring the score up to 5:5. Vigo then successfully brought his team into the lead (5:6) and TBV lost it, tossing the ball at the Spaniards’ goal only for Lorger to make save after save. Preiß then managed to sneak another goal in to even the score again (6:6; 13th min.) and TBV played with greater patience in the offensive, but La Rioja still pressed on. Rolf Hermann came on for Glandorf half way through the first half.
Galia’s outstanding save in the 18th minute kept La Rioja from its first two-goal lead of the game, during which time Preiß was sitting out a two-minute time penalty. Strobel’s powerful throw into the left-hand corner of the goal boosted the score to 9:9 (19th min.), but Kubes also then had to leave the pitch for two minutes, marking the start of the next critical phase for TBV. La Rioja played with greater confidence, compensating for the deficiencies in their game with emotion and passion. Kehrmann subsequently “stole” the ball when TBV was outnumbered and his goal evened things out once again (10:10). He then went off for a break and was replaced by Schmetz (21st min.).
A great deal of back and forth ensued: Preiß brought TBV into the lead (11:10) and Galia was back on form. TBV could easily have dominated the game, but continued to put itself out of sync, which led Volker Mudrow to call his time out after 25:45 minutes of play when the score stood at 11:11. Further ball interceptions followed, as did a missed counterattack and another goal for La Rioja (11:12). Going into the half-time break, TBV was two points down (11:13) – a score it thoroughly deserved due to countless entirely unnecessary technical errors.
After the break, Bechtloff and Preiß levelled the score out once more (13:13), but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around and La Rioja powered ahead (15:17; 36th min.). As in the first half, TBV made too many errors and Vigo responded for La Rioja with the 15:18 in the 37th minute and yet another just one minute later (15:19), which caused a buzz among the spectators. Ilyés came on in the left-back position after the 16:20 (40th min.), but it was Glandorf who got the next two goals in for TBV before Ilyés further narrowed the Spaniards’ lead (18:20; 41st min.). TBV finally rebelled – visibly battling grimly and countering hard. But Lichtlein (who had meanwhile gone into the goal) let another slip past (18:21; 43rd min.) and La Rioja’s next goal brought them to a four-point lead.
Tamas Mocsai came on in the 45th minute when the score stood at 19:22 to bring some order to the game. The Spaniards meanwhile had things under control though and TBV simply didn’t put enough pressure on in the offensive. Mocsai switched to the right-back position in the 49th minute whilst Kraus came on in the centre. Ilyés brought TBV’s score back up (21:23; 50th min.) and the Spaniards missed their opportunity to earn themselves a five-point lead, but remained the more consistent team. The next big opportunity following a nice lead from Mocsai to Kraus who ran in for the shot ended at Lorger, and La Rioja pulled ahead again (21:25; 52nd min.). TBV’s cover gave the hosts an unbelievable amount of freedom.
Svavarsson took over from Preiß at the circle and Mocsai netted the 23:26 (53rd min.), but still no change was in sight. At the 24:28, Mudrow took his time-out for the second half at which point the hall’s clock showed 55:56 minutes; the Spanish spectators meanwhile stood as a united front, supporting and celebrating their team. Although their performance certainly wasn’t a convincing one, La Rioja was consistently able take advantage of the weaknesses in TBV’s game. And in the 58th minute, La Rioja earned itself a five-goal lead (24:29) after Lorger once again triumphed against TBV’s offensive. Mocsai got another goal in for TBV, but the Spaniards sneaked one past Lichtlein just a short while later (25:30, 59th min.). The Czech referees called passive play against TBV in the final minute, giving La Rioja the opportunity to make it a six-goal lead, but Lichtlein successfully blocked the shot.
The final offensive luckily ended in Carsten Lichtlein’s hands; a time penalty against Daniel Kubes at almost the same moment as the final whistle then left the Spaniards’ blood boiling once again. The defeat was ultimately deserved; TBV’s error rate was simply too high. Now TBV must turn the heat up and play with passion, power and emotion to turn the five-goal lead around in the 2nd leg before the home crowd. Given the Spaniards’ performance in this match, this remains a possibility; indeed, the reason for this defeat cannot be found in TBV’s opponents’ strengths, but rather in the team’s own weaknesses.