After a fascinating match made in Bulgaria, the AEK secured qualifying in the EHF Cup semifinals in handball, prevailing in its repeat Partizanin the penalty shoot -out and will face Isvidacs from Bosnia/Herzegovina.
AEK needed to defend +5 from the first match (27-22), but saw Partizan dominating 24-19, sending the match in the penalty shoot-out. In the first 5 executions the players of the teams did not look like, so the process led to the “sudden death”, with the Union’s goalkeeper making the 7th attempt of the Serbs and qualifying for the “yellow-blacks” (6-7).
It is recalled that the rematch was initially scheduled to take place on March 30 in Belgrade, but it was postponed, after the episodes caused by fans of the Serbian team in “Vozdovac”. Thus, the European Handball Federation has decided to hold it on a neutral stadium, in particular in the “Soumena Arena” of the Bulgarian city, while the showdown took place without spectators.
In the other couple for the semifinal phase of the event, Alkalide from Northern Macedonia and Norwegian Runar Sandeiford, who excluded Olympiacos in the “8”, will be “crossed their swords”. The first showdown in this couple will take place in Skopje on Easter Sunday (20.04, 20:00 Greece) and the rematch race on April 27 (18:00 Greece) in Norway.
The two teams were in line with the score in the first half, as the biggest difference that one of the two “gladiators”-and in particular AEK-was the two goals (3-1 at 6΄ and 4-2 at 8΄). The half ended with Partizan leading 11-10, and shortly after the start of the second part, the Serbian team gained two goals (12-10) thanks to Bayraktarovic’s goal.
AEK kept the difference at these levels by 44΄, when Koukoulas reduced to 17-15, but there was three “unanswered” goals from Partizan, which led 20-15 at 46΄ and equalized the difference of its defeat in the first match. The Union reacted and reduced to 21-18 at 51΄, but the Serbian team “responded” to a new 3-0 leading to 56΄ with 24-18, scoring the difference of its defeat in Athens (24-18). AEK reduced with Davians to 57΄ (24-19), a score that did not change until the end of the match, resulting in the match leading to the penalty shoot-out.
There the players of the two teams were apt in their first six executions, and then Arabatzis scored in the seventh penalty for AEK. Zetsevic was then invited to score the penalty shoot-out on behalf of Partizan, but Adser was fired and … sent the “biceps” to the European Cup semifinals, with the first games scheduled for April 19-20 and the 26-27/4.
The five minutes: 1-2, 3-4, 6-6, 7-6, 9-9, 11-10 (half), 14-12, 15-13, 20-15, 21-17, 23-18, 24-19, 30-26 (p.).