In the end, everyone was satisfied. SG Flensburg-Handewitt earned its first two points in this year’s EHF European League with a 40–31 victory over Fraikin BM Granollers. Here are some quotes.
Aleš Pajović, SG Coach: “I wouldn’t say we had any difficulties in the first half. We weren’t at 100 percent, even though we knew what that would mean against a style of handball that was a bit different from what we’re used to. Granollers played well and won a lot of one-on-one battles. Conceding 20 goals by halftime was simply too many. But we kept going and maintained a high tempo. We opted for a seven-on-six formation because of their offensive defense. We then had a better defense ourselves, made more saves, and scored more often on the first wave. That was the difference from the first half. Now we can start thinking about Göppingen.”
Patrick Volz, SG left wing: “That was a lot of fun, and you could see smiling faces everywhere. From the outside, it might have looked like a bad start, but it didn’t feel that bad at all. We missed a few too many chances, but we stayed calm and focused on our strengths.”
Aksel Horgen, SG right wing: “Two points against what’s probably the second-best team in the group—that’s a perfect start. Despite scoring 20 goals, we had six technical errors and too many missed shots in the first half. We handled that better in the second half. We also improved on defense and made more saves. I’m not unhappy with my playing time. But it’s especially nice to be able to play a full 60 minutes, because it gives you a completely different flow.”