Handball: Great win for AEK against Sporting, chasing a huge qualifier

With a terrible performance, AEK prevailed 25-24 from Sporting Lisbon for the 9th game of Group D of the EHF European League and managed a qualification jump for the next phase of the tournament!

The players of Dimitroulia, who played excellent handball from time to time and never gave up during the game, got the two points. A big protagonist was Petros Bukovinas, who rolled down the reels while forcing Sporting to miss a penalty at the end of the game, giving Union the win.

Now AEK will give their all to qualify in the match against Pelister on March 8th in Skopje.

The game: The guests started with a 3-0 series and took the lead early on. Ugalde and Tzira reduced to 1-3 and 2-4, while AEK, with the weapon of good defense, “ran” a series of 6-2 and reached the favor of 8-6, with Mylonas, Ugalde and Tzira doing everything on the field . The Portuguese split 8:8 and 9:9, but with Nacho and Ugalde the “Union” took the lead again (11:9). Bukovindas performed a double op, igniting ‘T. Kambouris’ and Lemos, Ugalde and Tziras brought AEK up to +5 (14-9), 2′ before half-time. Ugalde scored an impressive 15-10, with the visitors breathing out 15-11 reduced while earlier Bukovinas scored their 8th operation!

In the second half, Sporting brought the game to a draw (15:15) with a 4-0 series, with AEK making one mistake after another. Ugalde took a deep breath offensively with an extreme goal (16:15), but the guests took the lead with a new series of 3:0 and reached 16:17. Tziras equalized with two goals in a row to 18-18, in the middle of the apotheosis of the fans of AEK, but the Portuguese “escaped” again with a difference of 2 goals (18-20, 19-21). Ugalde called out ‘present’ goal while Arambatzis equalized with an incredible aerial close at 21-21 at 46′! Bukovinas continued to stop his opponents, but a few lost attacks by the “yellow-blacks” put the opposing team back in the lead (21:22, 50:36). At this point, θα Platha’s time came, with the Spanish pivot “executing” twice for 23-22. 23-23, new defense Bukovina, missed penalty and 23-24 in favor of Sporting.

Lemos with Olympic composure equalized at 24-24 for Mylonas to come and “execute” Dimitroulias’ system exactly for 25-24, 11″ before the final. On the exhale, Bukovinas made another double save, but Sporting won a penalty. The goalkeeper by “Dikefalos” led his opponent to the… crossbar and the 25-24 led to… an explosion of joy from the crowd and the team celebrating the big win!

AEK – Sporting Lisbon 25-24

The five minutes: 1-4, 4-6, 7-6, 8-8, 12-9, 15-11 (dd.), 16-15, 18-19, 19-21, 21-21, 23-23, 25 -24

AEK (Dimitris Dimitroulias): Arabatzis 1, Briatka, Tziras 5, Sevelev, Nikolaidis, Lemos 3, Angelits, Mylonas 3, Iliopoulos, Bukovinas, Platha 1, Mogia 3, Papadionisiou 1, Ugalde 8, Kalomoi.

LISBON SPORTY (Ricardo Costa): Skok, Araujo 2, Mota Da Costa, Suarez Diaz 1, Tidemand 1, Rodriguez, Ruesga 2, Salvador, Arsenashvili 4, Gassama Sissoko 2, Tavares, Gaspard, Sungal F, 1 Costa M. 4.
referee: Madak-Rudinski (Slovakia). Two minutes: 3-6. penalty: 3/5-1/2.