Before the three-week break in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, Lomza Industria Kielce underlined their ambitions with an easy 37:30 victory against Pick Szeged.
Talant Dujshebaev's consolidated second position in group B and they are only two points behind Barça – the only team that have beaten the Polish champions this season. 11 players featured on the scoreboard for the hosts, who were never in danger against Szeged.
GROUP B
Lomza Industria Kielce (POL) vs Pick Szeged (HUN) 37:30 (22:14)
- a 14:5 run at the start of the match, including another strong performance from goalkeeper Andreas Wolff (11 saves in total), provided Kielce with a match-winning period. Szeged could not cope with the hosts' power and trailed by 10 goals (6:16) in the 18th minute
13 of Kielce’s 22 goals in the first half were scored by the Polish duo of Szymon Sicko (six goals) and Arkadiusz Moryto (seven goals), who both consolidated their positions among the top eight scorers of the competition
- at no time could Szeged profit from their first win of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League season last week against Elverum, as the Hungarian side were weaker than the hosts in every department
- after Kielce's 29:18 lead, the hosts decelerated and allowed Szeged to reduce the gap to 31:27, but Kielce were not in any danger and put the pedal to the metal in the final minutes
- Sicko and Moryto were Kielce's best scorers with seven goals each, while Imanol Garciandia and Miguel Martins both netted five times for Szeged
Kielce prove their home strength
Beating Pick Szeged on Thursday was Kielce's 11th straight victory at home, including wins against top sides such as THW Kiel, Barça and PSG. Their Legionow arena has been a true fortress for many years, but in the last two seasons, the Polish champions have been able to count on their home strength.
However, their last loss at home was a painful one, as the 34:31 defeat against HBC Nantes unexpectedly ended their hopes in the play-offs of the EHF Champions League 2020/21 season.
