QUARTER FINALS, FIRST LEG
H2H: 1-1-1
Top scorers: Francisco Costa 12/18 (Sporting Clube de Portugal); Thomas Arnoldsen 8/13 (Aalborg Håndbold)
- 2:1 was Sporting’s only advantage in the first half, as Aalborg took full control, but could not pull ahead by more than three goals
- led by Francisco Costa, who scored six of his 12 goals before the break, the hosts started their comeback and levelled the result at half-time thanks to a late 3:0 run
- a 6:1 run from Sporting, for 22:17, followed, including four strikes from the Costa brothers Francisco and Martim and a series of saves of goalkeeper Andrè Kristensen
- Aalborg found their pace after the weak period, increased their scoring efficiency, but could not turn the match completely around, though Thomas Arnoldsen and Mads Hoxer were on fire
- thanks to a 4:0 run, the Danish champions equalised with five minutes left — and everything was fully open again
- when Francisco Costa netted for the 12th time 50 seconds before the end, Sporting had the chance for the win, but the buzzer-beating penalty from Juul-Lassen secured the visitors a lucky draw after a thrilling endgame
Young guns with loads of goals — and mistakes
When two teams famous for high-speed handball and waves of counterattacks lock horns, you can expect a match like this. Sporting and Aalborg mainly focused on attack; their defence was definitely not in the spotlight. Therefore, only one goalkeeper had an impact on the match: Sporting’s Andrè Kristensen, who was crucial for the clear advantage enjoyed by his side at one point in the match.
It was mainly the young guns on both sides, like the Costa brothers Martim (23) and Francisco (21) for the hosts and Thomas Arnoldsen (23), Mad Hoxer and Juri Knorr (both 25) for Aalborg, that imprinted the duel. In basketball, this style of play might be referred to as “run and gun.”
But when you play that fast, you make mistakes — and despite being the top scorers of their sides, Francisco Costa and Arnoldsen missed a lot of clear chances. With their greater experience, Aalborg compensated for this weakness more effectively — and snatched a draw that might be crucial on the Road to Cologne.
It was a tough game and an amazing atmosphere. It’s a quarter-final of the Champions League and it should be like that. I’m really proud of my team; on how we managed to come back on the second half. We know that this is a difficult place to play. We are happy with the draw and looking forward to another big fight.
It was a really tough game between two strong teams. The first half was not so good from us but then we began so strong in attack and defence. We need to recognise that Aalborg Håndbold did a good game. We need to win by one there and this is good to know.
