At the start of the season in the EHF European League, the Foxes got a sovereign victory. They met a special opponent in Düsseldorf: the Ukrainian series champions and current German second division club Zaporizhschja.
Füchse Berlin won their first game in the EHF European League with ease. On Tuesday evening, they clearly won 38:27 (19:18) against the Ukrainian series champion HK Motor Zaporischschja, who is currently playing in the 2nd Bundesliga because of the war in his home country. The best Berlin pitcher was Milos Vujovic with nine goals.
Ukrainian champion is currently playing in the 2nd Bundesliga
It was an extraordinary away game that the foxes had to play at their start in the EHF European League. In Düsseldorf they met the Ukrainian serial champions HC Motor Zaporischschja, who has found a new home in the second handball Bundesliga in his home country due to the war. There, the Ukrainians take part in the game outside of the scoring, but appear in the table. They play their home games in the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital.
However, the difference in performance between the Ukrainian league and the 2nd division in Germany is large. Zaporizhia has only won twice this season and is only in 16th place after eight games. Despite this, HC Motor certainly has European experience. They have been champions of Ukraine every year since 2013 and therefore also took part in the EHF Champions League. Due to organizational uncertainties, however, they will start this season in the lower-class European League.
Foxes dominate from the start
Here, too, they are likely to have problems with the top-class opponents, which was also quickly evident in the start against the foxes. The Berliners dominated the game from the start and only allowed the hosts to score their first goal after just under three minutes. As the first half progressed, they increased their lead with a concentrated effort, but they met little resistance from the Ukrainian champions.
He obviously found it difficult to break through the strong Berlin defense and get into good throwing positions. At least Ihor Turchenko managed to do that occasionally and with his seven goals he ensured that his team were not much further behind until the break. The foxes had a clear 19:10 lead in the first round.
Clear class difference
The foxes maintained this lead after the break and hardly showed any weaknesses. Coach Jaron Siewert happily rotated his team and also let many of the younger players get a chance. However, it was mainly veteran Milos Vujovic, who benefited from his pace in moments of transition and thus always had a clear path to the goal, who was responsible for the goals. The class difference between the two teams was now even clearer than in the first half and the foxes led by twelve goals (34:22).
In the end it was a well-deserved and clear 38:27 victory for the Berliners at the start of the season in the EHF European League. They lived up to their role as favorites and showed a sovereign performance against the clearly inferior Ukrainian series champions from the 2nd division.
After a successful start in European competition, the foxes now have to play in the Bundesliga again. They are still unbeaten there and have the chance to defend their lead against Bergischer HC in the Max-Schmeling-Halle on Saturday.
Broadcast: rbb24, October 25, 2022, 9:45 p.m
