Plock take first win in seven games against Magdeburg
Four months can be a very long time, and Wisla Plock learnt it to their expense lately. The Polish side had not won a game in the Champions League since a victory against GOG in round 3 last September.
Tonight, they pulled out the same technique that got them through the season so far. That means a very strong defence, helped by a stellar performance from goalkeeper Marcel Jastrzebski, and an excellent offensive performance by Tin Lucin.
Thanks to these points, Plock remain in the run for playoff qualification, as they narrow the gap with Zagreb, currently ranked sixth, to only one point with three games left to play.
GROUP A
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 25:24 (14:10)
- for most of the first half Plock kept taking a two-goals advantage, but were not able to retain it, as Magdeburg would make the score even just a few seconds later
- not conceding any goals in the last four minutes of the half, Plock netted four times in the meantime to go back to the dressing room leading by four
- if Plock took a maximum advantage of five goals in the second half, Mike Jensen’s arrival between the visitors’s posts helped them stay in the game
- scoring three straight goals, Gisli Kristjansson evened the score with four minutes left to play to set up a thrilling money-time finish
- Magdeburg had two opportunities to even the score even in the last two minutes, but Marcel Jastrzebski stopped both shots from Mathias Musche and Daniel Pettersson
- Gisli Thorir Kristjansson was the game’s best scorer, netting seven for Magdeburg, while Tin Lucin scored six for Plock
- tonight’s win is Plock’s first since round 3, and while the Polish side remains seventh in the group, it comes back within one point of Zagreb
Quality does not come with age for Marcel Jastrzebski
He might only be 19, but tonight Marcel Jastrzebski proved that age does not mean anything in the Champions League. Plock’s goalkeeper stopped 11 shots in the first half of the game, including one seven-meter. And while the Polish side is usually strong defensively, this performance caused even more trouble for Magdeburg. The cherry on the top of this performance was Jastrzebski’s saves in the final two minutes, which gave Plock their first win since round 3.
We played very good defense in the first half and controlled Kristianson, who is probably one of the best one-on-ones in the world. In the second half we had a lot of problems and missed opportunities, but Marcel Jastrzębski stood up to the challenge, blocking many fantastic balls and helping us on the way to victory.
