The third edition of the Men’s Challenger Cup is nearing its conclusion, with the first leg of the semifinals taking place this weekend in the Netherlands. GZC Donk narrowly defeated Sliema from Malta in a dramatic 35-goal contest in Gouda – 18:17. The game between De Zaan and EVK Zaibas in Amsterdam was equally exciting, as the visitors from Lithuania managed to come back from a three-goal deficit to secure a 9:9 draw.
Everything is open before the return matches, which will be played in two weeks.
In Gouda, GZC Donk started excellently, establishing a 7:3 lead in the first quarter. However, the Maltese improved their defense and narrowed the deficit to only one goal by the middle break (7:8). The Dutch team came out firing in the third quarter and extended their lead to 11:7. ASC Sliema responded with three goals within just 51 seconds (10:11). GZC Donk headed into the final quarter with a three-goal cushion (13:10).
The scoring festival continued in the final period, featuring 12 goals and a nail-biting finish. The hosts didn’t keep a 3-goal advantage for long – until 14:11. Sliema leveled at 17:17 from a penalty with just 15 seconds remaining. Donk forced an exclusion in its last possession and capitalized on it. Jorn Winkelhorst closed a thrilling contest, scoring the game-winning goal just a second before the buzzer.
Donk’s Kjeld Weenhuis found the net seven times. Dino Zammit led Sliema’s attack with five goals.
The encounter between De Zaan and EVK Zaibas was a defensive battle. The hosts’ defense was far better in the first two quarters and a half. De Zaan led 5:3 at halftime and extended the margin to three in the third period (6:3 and 7:4). In the middle of the third quarter, EVK Zaibas found its attacking rhythm, produced a 3:0 run in two minutes to level at 7:7.
Early in the fourth quarter, De Zaan was two steps ahead of the Lithuanians. But, the visitors had the final say. EVK Zaibas scored the last two goals in the match. An equalizer for the final score (9:9) came just 33 seconds before the end.
Don Robin Rempt scored three goals for the home team, while Van den Dobbelseen and Corver added two.Vitauskas and Jonkus netted two each for EVK Zaibas.
Challenger Cup, Men, Semifinals, 1st leg
GZC Donk (NED) – Sliema ASC (MLT) 18:17 (7:3, 1:4, 5:3, 5:7)
ZV De Zaan (NED) – EVK Zaibas (LTU) 9:9 (2:1, 3:2, 3:4, 1:2)
Izmir retains Challenger Cup for ladies
While the male teams battled in the semifinal matches in the Netherlands, the Final Four of the 2nd Women’s Challenger Cup took place in Istanbul.
Izmir retained the trophy won last year in Zagreb. In the all-Turkish final, Izmir beat Galatasaray 9:8. Galatasaray led 3:0 early in the second period. Izmir dominated after that. The reigning champions went to 9:6 deep into the fourth quarter. Galatasaray scored the last two goals in the match, but it was too late for a new turn.
Mladost Zagreb won third place after making a remarkable comeback in the bronze-medal match against Serbian champion Vojvodina—15:9. The Croats made a 8:0 run in the last 12 minutes.
Semifinals
Vojvodina – Galatasaray Zena 8:13 (2:2, 2:3, 2:5, 2:3)
Izmir Buyuksehir SK – Mladost Zagreb 14:8 (5:2, 3:1, 3:2, 3:3)
Final
Izmir Buyuksehir SK – Galatasaray Zema 9:8 (0:2, 5:2, 1:1, 3:3)
3rd-place game
Mladost Zagreb – Vojvodina 15:9 (3:3, 2:4, 6:2, 4:0)
