2013. Apr. 25. Thursday, 19:38
It certainly is! After all, in the most prestigious international handball tournament, the Champions League, our team has never been so close that they can get into the elite fourth. The one-goal defeat a week ago kept the hope that now they can participate in the final four games, at the first time during the thirty-seven year history of MKB Veszprem KC. Which is unprecedented in the life of the club. Veszprém have been waiting for this moment since the the wonderful final-games in Magdeburg, which was 11 years ago. And it is not an exaggeration.
Already so much grief, sadness, frustration reached the fans, the team, and the club in this stage of the Champions League that the glass is overflowing.
From the point of view it is also a historical moment that the team always had to step onto the field for the qualification to the next round from unprocessable drawback. In this level minus four or five goals are the borderline case. Bigger drawback seemed to be an unachievable task.
It is also true that this one-goal defeat does not mean the qualification. A world selection arrives in the Arena. Last time they stand up from a 6-goal drawback, and won, and they are the defending champions too. In the last 6 years they beat all Europe with their efficiency and trophy accumulation.
Nevertheless, it should give strength that we won by one goal in the group stage at the Veszprem Arena. In the first clash of the quarter-final we played a fine handball, we scored a lot of goals in the away match. It can also expect a lot at the end. And most important is, that we're at home! And this is fit to take advantage of all levels.
This is a huge opportunity, noone knows when will be a similar. We can beat the defending champion, the strongest team.It can be described without exaggeration: it would be world-wide!
Carlos Antonio Ortega -head coach:
We have proved that we are capable of play handball as equal partner in the best team's home. Depended on little that could not win. It is also known in Kiel that we can defend well not only in a six-wall, but also a 5+1. Now we need something wich with we can confuse them. We already know what is that. My opinion is unchanged. 120 minutes huge struggle will determine the qualification to the next round. We are halfway trough, and we have chance for the qualification, as the opponent has it too. We are ahead of a great opportunity and it would be good to take the adventage of it.
Gábor Császár -playmaker:
We should have to eliminate the swells from our play. We should postpone the forty-seven minutes of handball, which we played is Kiel, at least to fifty-five minutes. And, of course most of us should grow up to the performance of Nagy László. Then we can achieve a feat against the Germans. I hope that our chance for the qualifying will remain until the last moments.
Péter Gulyás – right wing:
It is sure that we have to repeat our away-defence, because this is the found of that we have chance to the getting into the Final Four until the end of the game. It is true that our drawback is only one goal, but the defending champion, the strongest team of the world plays in the Veszprem Arena. This is not in handball that the one-goal defeat is automatically processable, and the qualification is secure. We stand ahead of a great opportunity. We need the help of our 5000 supporters to the big success.
Tamás Iváncsik -right wing:
Handball is such a game. Everything can be changed in moments. One thing is certain: We can not make mistakes like last time. Of course, I also can not do that. We have to multiply our performance in Kiel by 2, and we need the power of our fans, which forces the opponent to make mistakes. Then, the wrong sequence, which struck us for years maybe stops.
Written by Tamás Donát
Translated by Gergő Aranyi