Sporting lost today away to the Germans Rhein-Neckar, 32-29, in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the European Handball League, leaving everything open for next week’s decisive game in Lisbon.
After a balanced start, the home team was superior throughout the first half, reaching the break with a five-goal lead (19-14), but the ‘lions’ good response in the second half of the match (13-15) allowed him to close the gap to a three-goal margin.
The Danish Kirkelokke, with 10 goals, was the top scorer for the Germans, who occupy 10th place in the Bundesliga, with Francisco Costa standing out for the ‘lions’, leaders of the national championship, with nine goals.
Sporting hosts Rhein-Neckar next Tuesday, April 30th, at 7:45 pm, at Pavilhão João Rocha, in Lisbon, looking for an unprecedented qualification for the ‘final four’ of the competition.
Benfica is the only Portuguese team that has already lifted this European trophy, in 2021/22, after FC Porto finished in third place, in 2018/19.
In the other ‘quarter’ duels, the Germans from Flensburg-Handewitt won by a large margin when traveling to Sävehof, from Sweden (30-41), while the clashes between the Romanians from Dinamo Bucharest and the Danes from Skjern (28 -27) and the Germans from Füchse Berlin and the French from Nantes (33-33) were much more balanced.
Tags: Sporting loses Germany takes quarters European Handball League Lisbon Handball
