Handball players from Gorenje lost against Vojvodina in the first quarter-final match of the European Cup in Novi Sad. The hosts were better with 31:30 and a tense return match is expected on March 25 in Velenje’s Red Hall.
After a bitter defeat against Celje Pivovarna Laško in the quarter-finals of the Slovenian Cup, the team from Velenj was chasing a favorable starting point for a breakthrough to the semi-finals in the third strongest club competition on the old continent. In the second largest Serbian city, they had a three-goal advantage (29:26) a good ten minutes before the last siren sounded, but in the end they suffered a minimal defeat.
Zoran Jovičić’s team initially dominated the pitch and took a five-goal advantage (5:10) after fifteen minutes of play. Five minutes later, their advantage grew to +6 (8:14), but they gave up in the end of the first half of the game. The hosts made a partial score of 6:3 in the last ten minutes, and Velenje’s advantage at the break was three goals (14:17).
The handball players from Šaleška dolina showed a hot-cold performance in the second half. Despite this, they had their rivals from Novi Sad under control, where Gregor Ocvirk, the former great hope of Slovenian handball, also plays. Their advantage was between one and three goals throughout, but in the end they were left empty-handed due to a disorganized performance.
The hosts tied the score at 30:30 with a goal from Ocvirk just three minutes before the end, and Živan Pešić scored the winning goal for the hosts five seconds before the end of the match.
In the Velenje team, Tilen Sokolič was the most effective with nine goals. Urban Pipp contributed six goals, while Domen Tajnik and Peter Šiško each scored five goals.
European Cup, quarter-finals, first leg:VOJVODINA – GORENJE VELENJE 31:30 (14:17)
Vojvodina: Lučin, Vasić, Milić 3, Ocvirk 4, Vukovljak, Aziz 6, Milenković 3, Pušica, Arsenić, Radjenović, Pešić 3, Tomić, Kurteš, Rogan 1, Grozdanić 7 (2), Puhovski 4.
Gorenje Velenje: Skok, Taletović, Tajnik 5, Pipp 6, Drobež 1, Kovačić, Mlivić, Sokolić 9 (5), Verdinek 2, Šiško 5, Grmšek, Slatinek Jovičić, Mlivić, Predović 2, Hribersek.
The second leg will take place on March 25 at 18:00.
Source: Rtvslo
