In a high-flying start of the match, Löwen took full advantage of each and every mistake by Sporting's young and talented squad in the first half. However, even though it looked like the Portuguese club would leave Germany with a more substantial deficit ahead of the return leg, their burning desire and determination to close down the difference in the last three minutes of the second half proved crucial, as they scored quick and successive goals to leave Heidelberg with only a three-goal deficit. That result leaves the tie wide open ahead of the second leg in Lisbon next week.
QUARTER-FINALS, LEG 1
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs Sporting CP (POR) 32:29 (19:14)
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the German club held an eight-goal lead (19:11) in the 26th minute, but Sporting's late resurgence helped them narrow down the difference to five ahead of the break
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six different players scored at least a goal and didn't miss a single attempt in the opening 30 minutes for the home side
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Löwen held a five-goal lead with only four minutes to go on the clock, but the hosts failed to score again until the final buzzer; with Juri Knorr sitting out a two-minute suspension, Sporting managed a late 3:0 run
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Andrè Bergsholm Kristensen may have made only eight saves in the match, but Sporting's goalkeeper played a vital part in the final minutes of the match when his teammates narrowed down the hosts' advantage
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right back Francisco Costa scored nine goals for Sporting and was his team's top scorer in the match
David Späth and Niclas Kirkeløkke guide Löwen to victory
Rhein-Neckar Löwen's duo played a key role on both ends of the court as goalkeeper David Späth stopped Sporting's pacey attackers on 16 occasions, while Danish right back Niclas Kirkeløkke scored 10 goals and was the match's top scorer. Even though the Portuguese club tried to mount a full comeback in the second half, they were stopped by David's 38 save-rate percentage and by Niclas' stunning series of five goals between minutes 50 and 56. Löwen coach Sebastian Hinze can be content with his side's performance, but wll be especially proud with his young goalkeeper and experienced right back who secured the hosts the first-leg win.
The atmosphere and the crowd were fantastic tonight, that helped us a lot. In the end it's a little bit annoying that we won only with a difference of three goals. But to be honest, I think nobody thought that we could win this game. So we should be happy with the result.
It was not our game tonight. Rhein-Neckar Löwen showed especially in the first half more intensity and they had of course a really good goalkeeper. But in the end we showed character und so it's only three goals. I think we have to improve some things this week and then we will see an exciting fight in Lisbon.
