EuroHockey Club Challenge I
Servette HC got their campaign off to a flying start in front of their home supporters on Day One of the EH Club Challenge I competition. Mladost and Slagelse also registered wins after closely contested encounters. It all points to a fantastic competition.
HAHK Mladost vs SH Paolo Bonomi 2-1
Day One of the men’s EuroHockey Challenge got underway on Friday May 18 with HAHK Mladost (Croatia) against SH Paolo Bonomi (Italy). While the Italian team played the more attacking game, the Croatian side defended well and soaked up the pressure. In the 17th minute Domagoj Cefko broke away to score the first goal for Mladost and the lead was extended five minutes from time when Josip Jazbec found the net. Paolo Bonomi scored a consolation goal two minutes later through Juan Ortega.
AD Lousada vs CFU de Lamas 1-4
The second game was a Portuguese face off : AD Lousada vs CFU de Lamas. The conditions were perfect, sunshine and 20 degrees. CFU Lamas dominated the game and were rewarded with a 4-1 victory. Pinta Pedro, Jose Catarino (2) and Flavio Pinto scored for Lamas, while Jose Santos pulled one goal back for AD Lousada in the last minute of the game.
Slagelse Hockeyklub vs SK Slavia Praha 3-2
The third match was a tight encounter between Slagelse Hockeyklub and SK Slavia Praha. Despite high temperature in Switzerland, both teams fought hard until the end of the game. There was a lively atmosphere at the stadium in Geneva, as many schools came with their classes to watch the competition. Hero of the match was Jonas Diesing, who scored the winning goal in the 56th minute.
Servette HC vs TJ Plzen Litice 4-0
To finish the day, the host team Servette HC were comprehensive winners over Czech Republic team TJ Plzen Litice. The local team was in control for most of the game, with Gaetan Fabron, Arnaud Becuwe, Oscar Luscher and Nicolas Clollart all finding the goal in the first half. As winners of 2017 EuroHockey Club Challenge II, Servette are clearly motivated to win the title at home!
EuroHockey Club Challenge II
Welsh team Whitchurch reversed their fortunes from the previous day with a resounding 6-1 win over Bolu Belediyesi Spor of Turkey. Grammarians made it two from two as they beat Academic and the home team gave their supporters a reason to cheer.
Bolu Belediyesi Spor vs Whitchurch 1-6
Phillip Wilkinson added three more goals to his tally as he struck in each of the first three quarters against the team from Turkey. Michael Venn added two goals in the fourth quarter and the sixth goal was scored by Alexander Bourn. Numan Poyraz scored a consolation for Bolu. The result puts Whitchurch at the top of Pool A, although nearest rivals Zelina have a game in hand.
Grammarians vs Akademik 4-0
Grammarians from Gibraltar put in a strong and disciplined performance to cement their place at the top of Pool B. Goals from Jorgen Haveland, Shame Rampage, Ian Rodriguez and Mark Casciaro sealed a good all round performance.
KPH Raca vs Lipovci 1-4
Host team Lipocvi waited until the final quarter to make sure of this encounter with Raca of Hungary. Bostjan Stanko opened the scoring for Lipocvi early in the fifth minute but the score was levelled when Tonmas Vacha put the ball past Jernej Vucko in goal. Three goals in the final quarter sealed the win and made sure the home team stay in contention for a top two finish in Pool B.
EuroHockey Club Challenge III
Swedish side Nacka and HotSticks from Malta set the bar high with their 4-4 draw in the opening match of this event. There were less goals but some equally compelling matches as all eight teams got rid of first match nerves on Day One of the hockey spectacle in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nacka vs HotSticks 4-4
The EuroHockey Club Challenge III got off to a flying start in Copenhagen today, with the pool B match between Swedes Nacka LHK and Maltese team Sliema Hotsticks. Both teams played passionately, with the game ending in a 4-4 draw.
Kringsja vs Zuvedra 1-4
In the second game of the day, Norwegians Kringsja Sports Klubb, slid to a 4-1 loss against a driven Zuvedra Tauras side from Lithuania. The results of this pool leave the Lithuanians at the top of the group, with 5 points, while Kringsja and Sliema share the spoils for second place, with 2 points each.
Baltic Champs vs Gaziantep 1-3
In pool A, a determined Gaziantep Polisgücü SK side from Turkey fought to a 3-1 win against Lithuanians, Baltic Champs. The damage was done in the first half as Onur Acikgoz (2) and Celal Aydin sent the Turkish side into a 3-0 early lead. The consolation goal for Baltic Champs was scored by Zygimantas Balsiukas.
Copenhagen vs Berdyscev 4-2
The second game of the pool saw home side, Copenhagen HC open their tournament with an intense 4-3 win against a relentless Start Berdyscev Region from The Ukraine. This leaves the home team and Turkish side Gaziantep Polisgücü SK in a joint top place with 5 points, while Start Berdyscev Region and Baltic Champs have a point apiece.
EuroHockey Club Challenge IV
Kilppari cemented their spot at the top of Pool A as they made it two from two, while in Pool B Soroksari–Olcote showed no mercy as they hammered Slavia 1921 6-0 to make it 15 goals in two games.
Kilppari vs YoungStars 3-2
It was a close encounter between Kilppari and YoungStars but a goal in the 50th minute from Simo Makela gave the Finnish side the points. Sampo Hirvioja and Antti Aarela were the other scorers for Kilppari.
Moravske Toplice vs Epitok 2-1
This tight game saw Toplice finish the game with only eight players on the pitch as yellow cards were brandished freely in the remaining five minutes of play. Fortunately for Toplice, they had taken a 2-0 lead at this point and, although Pepp Gergely managed to pull one goal back for Epitok, the eight men managed to hang on for the points.
Slavia 1921 vs Soroksari–Olcote 0-6
This was always a big ask for the Slavia team as they only had a squad of 11 players. The relentless pressure piled on by Hungarian team Soroksari–Olcote was just too much and the goals flew in the goal throughout the game.
Morrtensrud–Aker vs ABC-Team 0-2
Tomas Makinen and Otto Taipale were the first half goal scorers for ABC-Team as the home team made sure of the points with a workmanlike display. The result leaves ABC on equal points at the top of Pool B but with an inferior goal difference to pool leaders Soroksari–Olcote.
Saturday 19 May sees action from all four of the EuroHockey Club Challenge competitions as the teams approach the crunch point of the competition. Keep up with all the action on the EHF website here and through the EHF social channels.
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