Zagreb given new hope

Zagreb given new hope

Although the table from Group D of the VELUX EHF Champions League was not comfortable viewing for Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, Schaffhausen’s win against Szeged on Thursday has brought hope back to the team, as a place in the Last 16 now looks achievable.

At the beginning of the season Zagreb lost eight players who made up the core of the squad including Balić, Štrlek, Kopljar, and Gojun.

A point dropped against Minsk after conceding at the final whistle and once again against Schaffhausen proved that inexperience in the squad was the cause of the two very important points going astray.

However, six players came back from the World Championship with a bronze medal and should be a large boost of self-confidence to the young team.

The goal set before the season was to reach the Last 16 is now within reach and next two home matches against Dinamo Minsk and Schaffhausen will the deciding factors.

Slavko Goluža, who led Croatia to bronze medal in Spain, had about 10 days to get the team back to the rhythm they had before the World Championship.

The team is healthy; David Špiler who missed the competition in Spain with Slovenia because of injury is back, as is young right back Luka Šebetić.

“We have a great motive. We are working a lot on our game and I want to continue where we stopped.

“We went through some situations each young team has to go through and there will be more of these but I'm an optimist,” says coach Goluža.

There is of course lot of respect for Dinamo Minsk, a team with nine points and have already secured a place in the Last 16.

Belarusian handball is enjoying a revival with the national team too, who returned to the world scene in Spain after an 18 year absence.

“It is a great team, even though we won one point in Minsk, it could have been two.

“They are big and strong, with a very good defence, great players like Atman and Nikulenkau, great goalkeepers and are very dangerous in counter-attack with Brouka and Rutenka.

“Getting to the Last 16 would be a big reward for this team,” concludeed Goluža.