Nærbø beat Drammen in shootout drama

After Romanian side CS Minaur Baia Mare reached the EHF European Cup Men final on Saturday, Nærbø IL booked their place in the final on Sunday.

Following a three-goal defeat at Drammen HK in the first leg of their all-Norwegian semi-final, Nærbø won the return leg by the same 30:27 scoreline and advanced after winning a dramatic penalty shootout.

SEMI-FINAL, SECOND LEG
Nærbø IL (NOR) vs Drammen HK (NOR) 35:31 (19:15, 30:27, shootout — 5:4)

First leg: 27:30. Nærbø IL won 62:61 on aggregate

• a 4:0 run late in the first half saw Nærbø take a 17:13 lead, and they kept a four-goal advantage at the break
• Nærbø's goalkeeper Halvor Nærland (14 saves) boasted a nearly 47 per cent save rate during the game, and his heroics helped the hosts to pull clear at 23:17 midway through the second half
• Nærbø led 30:25 before conceding two goals in the last 30 seconds. However, they won 5:4 in a shootout
• Ole Naerland and Tord Aksnes Lode scored seven goals each for Nærbø, while Sindre Aho netted six times for Drammen. All totals include goals scored in the penalty shootout
• the final will be played on 21/22 and 28/29 May. The draw to determine which leg each team will host will take place on Tuesday 3 May in Vienna

Nærbø continue to make history

Nærbø, who had eliminated the ambitious Kolstad Handball in a Norwegian league quarter-final earlier this week, made their fans happy again by reaching the EHF European Cup Men final.

Playing in their first season in a European club competition, Nærbø have already done a great job – and now they are just one step away from claiming the EHF European Cup title.