Tatran Prešov: Dominating the Slovak Handball Scene

The club, which has 17 championship titles in its collection, makes it clear that it would like to return to the Slovak throne. In the current season, he has a great record so far. This also applies to the performance in the EHF European Cup, where he already advanced to the top 16 teams.

The handball players of Tatran Prešov dominated the Slovak scene for many years. They won titles like on a treadmill. However, they lost their primacy last season. In the summer, there were changes in the playing staff and in the coaching chair, and they entered the current season with great appetite.

In the beginning, they were helped by a hard-fought victory against the defending champion from Považská Bystrica (26:25), and then they started at full speed. In the course of three months, no team could be found that would steal even a point from Šarišanov. Out of 15 meetings, they won all 15!

They are also doing well in cup Europe, where after the Champions League or, until recently, the European League, they are currently starting in competition number three – the EHF European Cup.

news-item-description">The handball players of Tatran Prešov advanced to the round of 16 of the EHF European Cup when they also won in Sunday’s rematch of the 3rd round over Iceland’s UMFA Afturelding 28:25. In the first meeting they triumphed 27:24.

After the Czech Lovosice, Tatran met the Icelandic team UMFA Afturelding in the 3rd round of this competition. He achieved his first success before the match, namely on the diplomatic field, as both matches were played in Prešov.

This also turned out to be very important, because the current 3rd team of the league competition in handball-advanced Iceland was not an easy task at all. Despite this, the people of Prešov defeated him twice. They won 27:24 on Friday, 28:25 on Sunday.

They found a replacement for the injured captain

The island opponent, who had to make up for a three-goal deficit, changed some things in the second meeting. At first he was fine with it. The Icelanders led 14:13 at halftime and drama was brewing. But the people of Prešov did not allow it.

“They pulled out the defense, played seven without a goalkeeper. It is very difficult to defend against a team that plays disciplined and doesn’t mess up. It’s not just about getting the ball and throwing it into an empty goal. You have to work on that. We did it and then they stopped playing it. We had an answer to everything they pulled out,” said the satisfied coach of Tatran Pavol Jano.

The absence of captain Tomáš Rečičár, who injured his knee in the first match, also hindered the Prešov team. He watched the rematch from the bench and the length of his absence is still questionable. This moment also resonated among teammates.

“We missed him, but Pavel Hernández played very well on the right wing. At the same time, he played on the wing from the beginning of the season,” the author of six goals, Lukáš Urban, approached. Only Hernández scored more (7), the Frenchman Adama Sako also scored 6 goals.

Tatran’s injured captain Tomáš Rečičár (in the middle) watched the rematch only from the bench. Source: TASR

During the halftime break, it was busier in the bowels. “It didn’t look very good for us as we were losing. Three goals are very few in handball, anything could happen. Hats off to us for locking in and turning the result around. The last 10 minutes were just playing out. It was clear that we would advance,” Urban evaluated. He called Afturelding the most difficult opponent in the ongoing season so far.

They don’t want Czechs and Balkans

The pupil from Prešov, who went through all age categories in Tatra, thoroughly enjoyed the process.

“I think that it means a lot for Prešov handball. We will play in the European Cup next year as well, which is very important for us and the fans. We’ll see who we get, but we’ll try to go as far as we can.” says Urban.

VIDEO: Reactions of coach Pavel Jan and Lukáš Urban after progressing through Afturelding

The rest of the round of 16 rematches are yet to come, so he did not want to get ahead of a possible opponent. However, he has an idea of ​​who he prefers to avoid. The round of 16 draw is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5, and will be played in the first half of February 2024.

“There are very high-quality opponents, but we also have form and we will not be afraid of anyone. I hope we advance at least through the next round. Maybe it would be good to avoid Czech and Balkan teams,” the 28-year-old central midfielder of Tatran and the Slovak national team thought aloud.

The sports club in the city also helps

“We want to go as far as possible and return Tatran to where it belongs. As I announced already in the summer after my arrival. So far we’re doing well,” stated coach Jano.

He joked when mentioning a potential next opponent in the European Cup. “We’d like to go to Italy for spaghetti, but we’ll see… Whoever the draw gives us, we’ll try to beat and move on.” they do not hide their determination.

In previous years, the people of Prešov played an enormous number of matches in various competitions. Last year they also played in the Czech league and the multinational SEHA Gazprom league. The audience seemed to be fed up with it at times, and the results were not the best.

In this case too, it looks like there has been a kind of restart. The matches against Afturelding were watched by 1,850 and 2,040 spectators. As part of the mutual support of the sports clubs in the city, there were hockey players from Prešov at the rematch, and football fans also provided an excellent atmosphere in the hall.

Hockey players from Prešov also came to support the handball players. Source: ŠPORT.sk

“We don’t train and play matches for ourselves. We do it for people and their entertainment. It makes me very happy,” Jano commented on the excellent audience backdrop.

Another sharp test for Prešov handball players will come soon. On Saturday, December 2, they will face Považská Bystrica against Považská Bystrica, the two best Slovak teams at the moment in the Tatran handball arena. With a possible victory, they would take an important step towards first place in the regular part of the extra league.

2023-11-27 07:20:00
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