Three goals ahead after the first leg in France, Kielce confirmed their superiority over Montpellier thanks to a second win tonight, at home this time.
The Polish side killed all hopes for their opponents right from the throw-off, as they were quickly up by three before increasing their lead to seven at the break.
Kielce’s offense even helped them take a 10-goal lead before Montpellier made the score more respectable thanks to a rally in the last 10 minutes.
QUARTER-FINALS :
Lomza Vive Kielce (POL) vs Montpellier HB (FRA) 30:22 (15:8)
Kielce win 61:50 on aggregate
- Kielce dominated their opponents in the first half, thanks to a well-oiled offence. Artsem Karalek made the most of it, scoring three in a row to put the hosts up by seven at the break
- with Andreas Wolff reaching a 50% efficiency rate, Kielce increased their advantage when they returned to the court, making it to 10 goals at the 44th minute
- both teams’ leading scorers netted seven times : Artsem Karalek for Kielce and Julien Bos for Montpellier
- the match was only the second time in six games that Kielce defeated Montpellier on home soil
- Kielce will now participate in the EHF FINAL4 for the fifth time
The Andreas Wolff show
When Andreas Wolff is on top form, he belongs among the best goalkeepers in the world and that is exactly the kind of performance he delivered tonight.
Well helped by a solid defence, the Kielce’s goalkeeper sneaked into each Montpellier player’s head. He stopped 13 shots at an amazing 48% efficiency rate before exiting the court in the 47th minute to a rousing ovation from his fans.
I feel great emotions, we can celebrate and enjoy this moment a little bit, but we still need to be focused on our next challenges. With our fans everything is easier, the atmosphere was amazing, I have never seen anything like this before.
