Brest handballers achieve good result
The match in Logrono was a true challenge for Meshkov HC. As in the previous meeting between these two teams, the first period finished to the Brest club’s advantage — 17:11. However, in the second period, they were soon down in numbers.
As the previous match, against Spain at the Victoria Sports Complex, finished in defeat (31:33) Meshkov fans were on the edge of their seats. Sergey Bebeshko’s team needed to finish ahead by at least three goals to move forward. Spain was also determined to claim victory, and the referee seemed to be biased towards the guests.
Arenas Garabaya did well in defence, and Viaña Malmagro forced his way through Meshkov HC’s defenders, quickly reducing their lead to first two goals and then just one. This continued until the end of the match, with the players fighting for every pass. The match was interrupted repeatedly, either to provide assistance to players or to give a penalty.
Dmitry Nikulenkov managed two goals in the last three minutes before the final whistle, despite the squad being two men down, and then another. This was followed by a final goal from Rastko Stojković, taking the Brest club four balls into the lead and keeping it in with a chance of making it through to the next round.
By Kirill Karin
