The handball players of HC Linz AG are only one victory away from the eighth championship title in the club’s history, the first since 1996.
On Friday, coach Milan Vunjak’s team made it 1-1 in the “best of 3” final series with a furious 36:28 (20:13) win at home against Hard. “Huge respect for the team! They never stopped believing,” said Vunjak, full of praise. The decision on the title will be made on Wednesday in Hard (8:20 p.m.).
From the first minute on Friday, it was clear that the Linz team wanted to prove that the painful 26:32 defeat in the first final game in Hard was extremely clear; that they could do better. Spurred on by the sold-out hall in Linz-Kleinmünchen, HC Linz was transformed. Especially the defense, which caused noticeable difficulties for the Vorarlberg team’s powerful backcourt and elicited unusual technical errors.
Christian Kislinger scored Linz’s first lead (4:3) in the 7th minute. For the captain, who will retire after the final series, the victory was an extension of his career – at least for a short time. “We are showing a completely different face than in the first game, we are absolutely ready,” said the 30-year-old.
Hard was “Horvatsless”
Linz dominated. Even Hard’s goalkeeper Constantin Möstl, who had been named player of the season before the match, barely got into the game. His coach Hannes Jon Jonsson brought substitute Golub Doknic into the game for the first time after just ten minutes.
On the other hand, Florian Kaiper – supported by the better defense – became an insurmountable hurdle at times, parrying 10 shots (28 percent). There was no trace of the Harder sovereignty from the first encounter three days earlier: Linz pulled ahead by as many as eleven goals at one point – a demonstration of power.
Hard had a serious injury: Ivan Horvat – top scorer in the first final with eleven goals and Linz’s nail in the coffin – watched 60 minutes from the bench yesterday due to a foot injury. “Harder’s game is predictable. It depends on Möstl and Horvat,” Bernhard Ditachmair had said before the final. The Linz club president saw how his team – led by Kislinger and Mislav Grgic (8 goals each) – left nothing to chance in the second half. “I said I wouldn’t mind if they became champions,” said Ditachmair with a laugh. Postscript: “It’s unbelievable how they came back after the first final.”
Immediately after the final whistle, planning began for the fan trip to the deciding match on Wednesday.
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Source: Nachrichten
