PAUC Handball win ends La Rioja’s dream

With only point earned, PAUC Handball was determined to end their EHF European League campaign with a win.

They performed better from the start until the final whistle to leave La Rioja with a long journey back home. Defeat combined with Velenje’s win over Sävehof, meant La Rioja would progress no further in the tournament after a performance that lacked defensive aggressiveness.

GROUP C

PAUC Handball (FRA) vs BM Logroño La Rioja (ESP) 37:31 (19:16)

• PAUC Handball needed 10 minutes to open a three-goal lead
• La Rioja were poor in defence, letting their opponents attack and score far too easily
• biggest lead PAUC had was in the 56th minute (35:28); La Rioja’s lowest deficit was by two
• Jorge Perez Molina was the one keeping La Rioja’s dream alive, making 18 saves at 33 per cent efficiency
• William Accambray and Kristján Örn Kristjánsson stepped up for the French team, with 13 goals between them

First win to say goodbye

PAUC Handball haven’t had a dream European season. Thierry Anti’s team is still in the top three of the French league and winning important matches, but hasn’t had the same strength in their European campaign.

In nine matches, they managed to snatch only a point from Velenje but failed to overcome every other obstacle. In the last group match, they dominated La Rioja, and stepped up in all segments. In addition, all 13 players scored.