VHC Sviesa overcame Dragunas and advanced to the playoffs
February 24, 2022
Dragunas Klaipeda hosted the Lithuanian champions from Vilnius, VHC Sviesa, in a midweek BHL game last night.
With the playoffs fast approaching, the value of each game is skyrocketing. The Vilnius team had their first chance to secure a playoff position in this encounter, and all they needed was a win. The task is big, especially when you’re up against the current Baltic Handball title contenders, who have the same ambition. But the club from the Lithuanian capital was up to the task, making their first try to clinch a place and succeeding – VHC Sviesa became the third club and the first from Lithuania to qualify for the play-offs. Two Estonian clubs, Polva Serviti and Viljandi HC, had already secured their spots.
HC Dragunas Klaipeda – VHC Šviesa Vilnius | 25:27 (10:16)
Gintaras Cibulskis (HC Dragunas):
There was a lack of fight in the first half. The team began with the wrong attitude, as if it were a training session. I can’t conceal it; I have a lot of things to be angry about with the squad, with these guys… The match was well-prepared, with all of the necessary materials on hand, and the opponent did not surprise us too much… Everything was set up for the guys; all they had to do was go out and win. I’m hoping the players will come to their own conclusions. To be honest, the first half was a disgrace in front of the spectators; it was not our true face. It was not the opponent that surprised us, but rather our own poor performance.
Šarūnas Ugianskis (VHC Sviesa):
It was a tough match, just as we expected… We were able to slow down the opponents’ rapid offensive to some extent, allowing only 10 goals in the first half. Because we were missing our main center, Skirmantas Pleta, we had to improvise more in attack. It was actually two very different halves; the first half we had a lot of energy, and the second half we started to run out. But it’s a good thing that everything worked out in the end; we’re pleased with our victory.
HC Dragunas – Hlushak 10, Butkus 4, Naghavialhosseini 4.
VHC Šviesa – Bernatavičius 9, Ugianskis 6, Drabavičius 4.
| Home | GAME STATS | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | SHOTS | 48 |
| 52% | SHOTS EFFICIENCY | 56% |
| 6/7 | PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS | 0/1 |
| 86% | PENALTIES EFFICIENCY | 0% |
| 1 | YELLOW CARDS | 2 |
| 3 | 2 MIN SUSPENSIONS | 3 |
| 0 | RED CARDS | 0 |
