Despite a 38:34 victory against HC Kriens-Luzern, GC Amicitia Zurich failed to qualify for the group stage of the EHF European League.
A handball lies on the hall floor. (Symbolic image) – Pixabay
As GC Amicitia Zurich reports, the burden was large, in the end too large. The six-goal deficit from the first leg of the European League qualification proved to be an insurmountable task.
Even though GC Amicitia Zurich did everything in its power to make the impossible possible in the fourth half, the 38:34 victory against HC Kriens-Luzern does not change the fact that the Central Swiss team will advance to the European group stage instead of the Zurich team.
Lucerne residents have since moved away
With a good performance across the board, a surprise would have been possible in retrospect. The impressive start of the Blue-Whites was nipped in the bud by HC Kriens-Luzern. After just a quarter of an hour, the game seemed to be decided, with Lucerne pulling ahead by five goals.
And then Bösch’s team began to fight back – and GC Amicitia sent out a signal. They simply didn’t want to embarrass themselves in front of their home crowd, albeit a sparse one. The Zurich team made some offensive moves and were particularly effective in finishing. The two-goal deficit at half-time was a signal from within: there was no letting up.
Increase in the exciting final phase
In the second half, Werner Bösch’s team impressed with a respectable performance. The offense worked with concentration – and the game was tied after ten minutes in the Saalsporthalle. Janus Lapajne equalized with his fourth of a total of five goals to make it 21:21.
GC Amicitia had 20 minutes left to get a taste of the sensation – and they got a taste of it. Unfortunately, the Zurich team couldn’t immediately carry the momentum after the equalizer and had to be patient again. In the last minutes of the game, HC Kriens-Luzern practically stopped playing – they seemed very confident about the six-goal lead.
When Janus Lapajne made the final score with 38:33 one minute before the end, things got hectic in the once again very hot Zurich Saalsporthalle – suddenly anything seemed possible. Two at least questionable decisions by the Serbian referee duo ultimately prevented a penalty shootout from taking place in Zurich.
Adventure Europe ends with victory
GC Amicitia Zurich won the qualifying second leg for a place in the European League with 38:34, but was two goals short in the final score.
A look at the statistics shows that they were close to a surprise: GC Amicitia Zurich scored eight times when they were shorthanded, while Lucerne did not manage a single goal in this constellation. When they were in the majority, they were technically evenly matched – but HC Kriens-Luzern only allowed three two-minute penalties over the entire game. Too few to make a profit.
The European adventure ends with a victory for GC Amicitia Zurich. They bid a respectful farewell to the competition and can now concentrate fully on their tasks in the national championship. The next match is coming up soon: on Wednesday, September 11, the Zurich team will face Wacker Thun away.
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