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GREAT GAME: Alexander Blonz. Photo: Geir Olsen
(Porto-Elverum 28-30) Elverum’s handball masters never cease to amaze. On Thursday night, Portuguese Porto was defeated 30-28 in the opening of the Champions League.
The bad news was that the national team player Alexander Blonz (20) was injured in the final seconds. It may appear that you have a twisted knee.
– It is clear that it gave a bittersweet ending to the game. Alexander was as good as we know he can be, and so far we are not sure how serious this injury is, Elverum’s new coach, Børge Lund, tells VG.
– They’ll examine me more when I get home, Blonz himself tells VG.
Otherwise, Lund had every reason to smile after the achievement in Portugal. Porto beat Kiel himself last season and is, in effect, the Portuguese team. Alexander Blonz was the top scorer with ten goals, while Dominik Mathe had four.
– If we are sharp, then we know we can manage such achievements, says Elverum’s coach.
– It is good that we as a group have this feeling that anything is possible.
Elverum led 5-3 in the first half, but Porto drew 8-8. And the Portuguese led by four goals at halftime (16-12).
In the second half, Elverum impressed a lot. Børge Lund changed the defense with Luc Abalo in front. It turned out a bit ingenious. The Frenchman worked wonderfully with Alexander Blonz and goalkeeper Torsten Friis after the break.
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– We changed to 5-1 on defense and at the same time we have more intelligence and pace in the future, says Børge Lund to VG.
– Abalo at 5-1 worked perfectly?
– That’s the main reason we brought it in – take advantage of your experience and ingenuity in the game. It makes it difficult for Porto to find rhythm in their game.
– A real feather in the cap for Norwegian handball and not least for Elverum, stated expert commentator Gunnar Pettersen on the Viasat 4 broadcast.
– Many wondered if Elverum belonged to the 16 teams here. And they proved it now.
After 29.15 in the second half, Alexander Blonz missed a penalty and Porto reduced to 28-29.
Blonz himself had 10 goals on 13 shots. He scored 11 of 11 against Kolstad last weekend. In the end, he had a scorer for Dominik Mathe, who scored 30-28. But at the same time he sent the pass, Blonz made a mistake and was injured.
– It was good to see that he scored, smiles Blonz.
– Does this mean you can beat anyone?
– Perhaps no one, but perhaps anyone from our group in the Champions League, responds the national team.
The local newspaper Østlendingen claims Thursday evening that “Elverum represented one of his greatest achievements of all time.”
This match was supposed to take place in Elverum, but was reversed due to uncertainty about the crown test on the way to Norway.
