In the 13th round match of B Group in the handball League of Champions, PPD Zagreb lost to Pick Szeged in Hungary with 21-26 and will need to defeat in the Zagreb Arena on March 9 the Slovenian Celje PL by at least three goals
The Szeged game could have eased the work for the Croatian champion in the last round. Had PPD Zagreb gained at least a point or a win in Hungary, any win against the Slovenian team would have worked, Jutarnji List reported on March 4, 2017.
Now the team coached by Silvijo Ivandija will need to defeat Celje by at least three goals on Thursday, March 9 to move on to the next round.
Zagreb held its ground in Hungary well until the end of the first half and 12-12. In the last minutes the home team scored two goals. In the second half Szeged built a 22-15 advantage and then routinely defended itself. The game ended with 26-21.
Pick Szeged was led by Zsolt Balogh with seven goals, Joan Kallman with five and Sergej Gorbok with four goals, while goalie Mendez Sierra made 12 stops. PPD Zagreb player Josip Valčić made four goals, Dobrivoje Marković and David Miklavčić three each.
