After the group phase of the men’s handball competition had ended, yesterday marked the beginning of the quarter-finals and play-offs for the remaining spots (9 through 16). All group winners produced confident wins except for the University of Zagreb, who was defeated by Cologne.
Only one of the two host teams from Zagreb will advance to the next round and continue fighting for the title of champion – the team from the VERN’ University of Applied Sciences, who were the undisputed winners with their nine-goal lead. They are clearly aiming for the gold medal and the next obstacle in their way will be the team from Cologne.
With 10 goals, Kevin Lind was the best player in the Croatian team, followed closely by Matej Tabak and his 7 goals. In the Portuguese team, Ulisses Ribeiro and Henrique Figueredo both scored 5 goals for the University of Aveiro.
Unlike the students from VERN’, the players from the University of Zagreb were unable to defend their favorites title in the match with Cologne. They lost 27-24.
From the very start, it was clear that the match would be intense and the outcome uncertain until the end. By half-time, there was only a goal of difference separating the two teams. In the continuation of the match, the experience of the German team proved crucial as four players from Zagreb were sent off. That was enough for Cologne to take lead and win.
Simon Schlosser was the best player of the match with 6 goals, followed closely by Matthias Peters with 5 goals. In the Croatian team, Darko Krdelja and Neven Grgurić both scored 5 goals.
The second semi-final will see a face-off between the University of Minho and the University of Niš. Yesterday, the Portuguese team won over the Lithuanian team in the most exciting match of the quarter-finals. Although Lithuania had a two-goal lead by half-time, the rest of the match was a real fight for the victory. Both teams kept scoring, the defense was brilliant on both sides and five players were sent off. However, luck and composure were on Portugal’s side, who won 30-29 in the end.
Vasco Arieas and Diogo Branquinho scored 7 goals each, making them the best players of the winning team. In the Lithuanian team, Urbonas Mindaugas scored 8 goals.
After the defeat of their female colleagues in quarter-finals, the men’s team from the University of Niš managed to move into the top four with their win over the University of Basel. The great performance from Serbian players in the first part of the match secured them a ten-goal lead by half-time – the score was 19-9. For the rest of the match, they only had to maintain their lead and warm up for the semi-finals, where they will face off against the University of Minho.
With 9 goals, Nemanja Živković was the best player in the Serbian team, while Max Gerbl scored 5 goals for the German team.
