Viljandi HC triumphed in the battle of the leaders

February 21, 2022

Viljandi HC triumphed in the battle of the leaders

The thirteenth week of Baltic Handball League matches has come to an end. Today included five matches, with Viljandi HC triumphing in a hard-fought clash between the league leaders in the center round game. Both Lithuanian clubs grabbed victories: Dragunas overcame HK Ogre of Latvia at home, while VHC Sviesa defeated Raasiku/Mistra of Estonia away. Dobele was the superior side in the match between the two Latvian teams, while Estonia’s Kehra defeated SK Tapa.

SK Tapa – HC Kehra/Horizon Pulp&Paper | 23:27 (9:15)

Rail Ageni (Tapa):

It was expected that the weekend would be difficult considering that half of the team had not been able to train or touch the ball for two weeks. Easy mistakes and making the goals were decisive today. When it comes to equal teams playing, small details play a big role, and unfortunately, they were against us today. On the positive side, it is definitely good that we got to practice and play immediately after the period of illness, because there are still many games to come. We won’t let our heads drop. Right now, we have to accept what has happened and be in better shape next weekend.

Sergio-Silver Kreegimaa (Kehra):

In the first half, we played good defence and it gave us many opportunities to play fastbreaks and score some easy goals. The second half of the game was a little different because both of our defences were strong and pretty even and we both struggled to get some position goals, but even though we lost the second half, we still managed to win the game.

SK Tapa – Oolup 6, Rättel 3, Berezhnyi 3.

HC Kehra – Gumianov 7, Seermann 4, Normak 3.

HomeGAME STATSAway
54SHOTS49
43%SHOTS EFFICIENCY55%
3/3PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS0/0
100%PENALTIES EFFICIENCY0%
1YELLOW CARDS2
52 MIN SUSPENSIONS2
0RED CARDS0

Viljandi HC – Põlva Serviti | 21:20 (12:11)

Marko Koks (Viljandi):

It was a hard game from the beginning. Today’s key points were defence and our goalkeeper, Rasmus. We struggled offensively all game but, despite the fact that we did not score in the last 13 minutes, we fought in defence and we are very pleased with the victory.

Ülljo Pihus (Polva):

Unfortunately, we were missing some back players today and lost Raiko Rudissaar during the first half. But I think every team currently has some squad issues, something everyone has to cope with. Our attacking performance was very poor today. We were unable to find good solutions and struggled with finishing. We can be satisfied with our defense and goalkeeper. Today it went like this: We will try to learn from our mistakes and improve.

Viljandi HC – Basarab 6, O.Varik 5, H.Koks 3.

Põlva Serviti – Sillaste 9, Celminš 3, Pihus 2.

HomeGAME STATSAway
41SHOTS48
51%SHOTS EFFICIENCY42%
2/2PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS5/6
100%PENALTIES EFFICIENCY83%
1YELLOW CARDS0
22 MIN SUSPENSIONS3
0RED CARDS0

Raasiku/Mistra – VHC Šviesa Vilnius | 24:32 (14:15)

Enrico Anton (Raasiku):

It was a tough game. Yesterday we had a game while VHC Sviesa had a rest day. I think we were a bit tired. However, the Sviesa goalkeeper was really good, so we didn’t manage to score too much. We are disappointed. We can’t find any pluses from this game.

Ignas Jonuška (VHC Šviesa):

The Final Four of the Lithuanian Handball Federation Cup is coming up, so I wanted to improve my game even more. In the first half, there were a lot of defensive mistakes, and the opponents took advantage of them. However, after the break, we came back with a different energy. We were better in defence, which resulted in better and faster offence.

Raasiku/Mistra – Kask 6, Naumenko 4, Slastinovski 3.

VHC Šviesa – Ramunis 6, Bernatavičius 5, Jonuška 3.

HomeGAME STATSAway
48SHOTS47
50%SHOTS EFFICIENCY72%
1/2PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS5/6
50%PENALTIES EFFICIENCY83%
1YELLOW CARDS1
22 MIN SUSPENSIONS2
1RED CARDS0

ZRHK Tenax Dobele – SK Latgols Ludza | 39:26 (20:12)

Ņikita Pančenko (Dobele):

Today’s game against Latgols was a game with many goals. We play well in defense, and the goalkeepers also help a lot. Today we use a lot of young players. They can adapt to our older players and tactic schemes. We have already made some mistakes, and with this we will work and prepare for the next games.

Renārs Grebeņņikovs (Latgols):

The game was rough, as always, for us due to our small bench. We can’t get enough players who can participate in BHL games regularly, and running a full 60 minutes on consecutive days is hard. I congratulate Dobele on their well-deserved win, but for us it’s a lesson again to improve our offense. We need to play the game slower and not play fast-paced handball like all the other teams do.

ZRHK Tenax Dobele – Šuleiko 7, Kreicbergs 5, Pančenko 5.

SK Latgols – Kušners 7, Grebeņņikovs 7, Strazds 3.

HomeGAME STATSAway
54SHOTS46
72%SHOTS EFFICIENCY57%
3/3PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS3/4
100%PENALTIES EFFICIENCY75%
1YELLOW CARDS0
22 MIN SUSPENSIONS2
0RED CARDS0

HC Dragunas Klaipeda – HK Ogre/HYDROX | 39:26 (18:15)

Gintaras Cibulskis (Dragunas):

There were two different periods. The first period was quite difficult. We didn’t score many shots from good situations, and we conceded 16 goals, so the defence was not good either. In the second half, we improved our defence and conceded 10 goals, and it was clear that the opponents were a bit tired, so we had to finish the game calmly. It is also worth mentioning that we had a lot of young players today. We know we still need to work hard, but everything will come in its own time.

Mats Renfordt (Ogre):

Unfortunately, today we could not bring the same energy to the field as yesterday. In the first half, we lost a lot of one-on-one, but thanks to another good game by our goalkeeper, Ozoliņš, we were only down by 3 goals at the half. After the break, we could not turn the game around and, in the end, lost to the better team of the day.

HC Dragunas – Hlushak 9, Simonavičius 6, Drakšas 5.

HK Ogre – Hovratovičs 8, Patsykailik 6, Lazdiņš 4.

HomeGAME STATSAway
61SHOTS54
64%SHOTS EFFICIENCY48%
3/3PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS1/1
100%PENALTIES EFFICIENCY100%
2YELLOW CARDS0
62 MIN SUSPENSIONS4
1RED CARDS0

After the 13th week of BHL games, it is clear that two Estonian clubs, Polva Serviti and Viljandi HC, have secured their places in the playoffs. It is also clear that the teams currently in eighth to thirteenth place do not have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. VHC Sviesa, Granitas Kaunas, HC Vilnius, Dragunas Klaipeda, and Tenax Dobele are competing for the remaining four spots.