Nærbø claim away win in the Norwegian derby
Title-holders Nærbø IL made a step towards their second straight final of the EHF European Cup Men.
In the first-leg match of the semi-final, they took an away victory against fellow Norwegian team Runar Sandefjord Elite, 29:27.
- Nærbø were down 17:14 at the break, but took the initiative to overtake the lead at 27:21 with 10 minutes to go. However, Sandefjord slashed the gap in the closing minutes
- Cristoffer Rambo scored 12 goals for Sandefjord, yet his effort did not help the visitors in their intentions to win the game
- in the other match, Alingsås were losing 23:21 with seven minutes to go against Vojvodina, eventually securing a 25:24 win in the end
- goalkeeper Rickard Frisk played a key role in the Swedish team's win, accounting for 16 saves, stopping 44% of shots heading his way
- the second-leg matches will be played next weekend, on 22/23 April
Title-holders better as team
While the experienced Rambo did a great job in Sandefjord's attack, Nærbø were better as a team. Many of their players finished with five goals, and although no one scored more - the number of offensive options helped the visitors celebrate in the end.
Nærbø have a good chance of reaching the final, but Sandefjord also hope to make an away comeback next week, with this tie still being very open.
