Image: Wolfgang Pichler
Both Linz handball teams almost made it into the ÖHB Cup quarter-finals at the double event in SMS Kleinmünchen. After the Future Team HC Linz AG/Neue Heimat defeated the Spiders Wels in a confident manner with 39:25, the main act of the evening developed into a real crime thriller with overtime.
Eight seconds before the siren, Lucijan Fizuleto had thrown the first-class HC Linz AG into overtime, but ultimately HC Hard retained the upper hand with 33:30 (16:13, 27:27). Ten goals from top scorer Mislav Grgic didn’t change that.
“What can I say? That was a great match in which both sides fought until they dropped,” said Linz coach Milan Vunjak: “Unfortunately, in the end we ran out of strength due to the many failures, the Vorarlbergers had that longer bench.” The Upper Austrians were missing Florian Kaiper, Moritz Bachmann, Arnad Hamzic, Sinisa Sironjic and Silas Wiesinger.
What remains is the pride in a strong performance. “I have to praise my players, they showed a varied handball. Unfortunately we couldn’t reward ourselves, in the end luck wasn’t on our side either,” said Vunjak. Now the focus is on the day-to-day business of the HLA Master League. It continues on Saturday at HSG Bärnbach/Köflach.
more from More Sport
The dream of the seventh Olympic heaven
Swimming World Cup: Bucher as fastest in the 100 m dolphin semi-final
Fistball hit in Enns with the prospect of a full house
Linz swimmer Espernberger surprisingly won bronze at the World Championships
: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
