Resita, in the finals!
CHALLENGE CUP - the pupils of Omer Aihan, succeeded the qualification in the last minutes after a dramatic contest in Poland. The handball players from Banat will fight for the trophy with the Drammen team (Norway).
"We are going to fight for qualification!" This perfunctory declaration given by the Resita players at their departure to Poland turned into a war cry.
Omer Aihan and his pupils believed in their luck since the beginning of the end of the turn match, finished at equal score, 32-32. "It might be better this way. We'll start as outsiders and we'll win in Poland!" said Omer to all those who were given sentences after the first round of the semifinals. These words of the worthy technician proved to be true. UCM Resita played a great match at Lubin and qualified itself in the Challenge Cup finals as early as its first participation in the European Cups.
The encounter from yesterday was a dramatic one. The handball players from Banat Region hold tight to their adversaries in the first half of the match, keeping an almost perfect balance on the score table. Starting with the second half, the strength ratio has changed. Even if they were playing against the Champion team of Poland, country that won this year the silver medal at the Senior World Championship, the pupils of Omer fought in cold blood, with abnegation and ambition. Their excellent team game allowed them to detach form the adversary: 21-20 and then 23-20, at min. 35. Still, it was too soon to think that they are the winners. The balance between the score kept all of them under pressure but, finally, the release for the Romanian team came five minutes before the finale, when they scored the goal number 33. From now on, when they had the leadership at two goal difference, even an equal score was sufficient to get to the finals. But the draw game wasn't necessary since Resita team fount out the required strength to finish the game at a score of 37-36. For the second running year Romania was a finalist in the men contest of the Challenge Cup, after the success of "Steaua MFA" that won the trophy in the last season. "We will win this trophy, too!" declared Resita team at the end of the game. In the finals they will have to meet the Drammen team (Norway).
Butulija was, again, the Number 1 in the attack of Resita team, scoring nine times. The goal "chest" of UCMR was rounded by Kovacevic - 8, Irimescu - 5, Tucanu - 5, Pârvan - 3, Vaidasigan - 3. The goalkeeper Macri, who played in the second half of the game, also gave his best for the qualification, his parries giving headaches to the Polish players.
"We gave them a lesson with our tactics"
INTERVIEW / Aihan Omer - The coach of UCM Resita team fulfilled his dream, the qualification in a European final.
At only few minutes after the qualification in the finals, the coach Aihan Omer (photo, center) had a discussion with ProSport.
Congratulations! You succeed o new change of situation, under the manner of "Aihan Omer". How was the game?
It is to write a book about it. "We gave them a lesson of tactics, tricks and others. The players made an extraordinary game, so we succeeded to get to the finals.
After the turn game everybody said that you have too little chances for the qualification. What have you told to the boys before the game?
I told them that we have all the chances as long as we will be seven against seven on the field. Even it would have been required to recover ten goals, the chances still existed. If we didn't believe in this, there is no need to play! That's what I told to the boys" said Omer.
Did you expect, at your early star in the Challenge Cup, to reach till the finals?
All the time, we hoped that we will do our best in the last minute. In fact, we start the fight having this in mind.
You finally succeeded to break the obstacle that stopped you in the semifinals and now, for the first time, you are qualified in a European final.
For me, this is a great achievement, maybe one of most special ones. For a log time ago, to play in a European final was one of my greatest wish and now, this dream has become true.
How will you celebrate the victory from Poland?
Now, we will join the same table with the "rich" ones. We have the same condition as the Polish team, and we are very proud of this. The victory is ours and they have to leave aside any idle talk.
UCM Resita will play at home the first match for the finals
The UCM Resita team will play at home the first match in the Challenge Cup finals, with the Norwegian team Drammen HK, as was established on Tuesday, in Viena, following the drawing of lots result.
The turn match will take place on April, 21 or 22, and the return match is scheduled one week later in Norway.
The holder of the trophy is another Romanian team, Steaua Bucuresti.
Article from: PROSPORT
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