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Liebherr Euro Champions League - 1st Round

Report of the first round

First published on Tuesday, November 6, 2001

Last updated on Thursday, February 28, 2002

GROUP A:

Friday, 2. 11. 20.00 h:
Royal Villette Europlus Charleroi - TTC VP Frydek-Mistek 3:1

The club world champion became fair its favourite role and landed the expected obligation victory. The Czech guests offered however considerable resistance. Backbone Charlerois and guarantor of the victory was once again Vladimir Samsonov. The young Japanese Muneaki Mitamura, which replaced Zoran Primorac, supplied the third point in a hard contested match against Frantisek Krcil. Despite this succès d’estime Frydeks manager Jiri Chudik blamed the fate a little bit. “Even we had a chance to win. Marek Klasek played quite superb today, the victory against Jean-Michel Saive, especially in front of this enormous audience, was really a strong performance. The decisive match was the one of Krcil against Mitamura. Frantisek played well, but he can do still more. If this point would have succeeded by him, then we could even have won. We must use now our home encounters what is the only chance to survive in this difficult competition. "

Samsonov - Olejnik 8:11, 11:5, 11:3, 12:10
Saive - Klasek 5:11, 12:10, 8:11, 10:12
Mitamura - Krcil 11:7, 11:6, 6:11, 6:11, 11:6
Samsonov - Klasek 11:7, 11:5, 11:8

Sunday, 4. 11. 17.00 h:
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen - Borussia Düsseldorf 3:0

The team of the league sponsor presented itself as the first challenger of previous years’ winner Charleroi with a brilliant performance in front of an inspired audience. “It ran simply optimally for us”, was manager Christoph Reuhl pleased. “Coach Zlatko Novakovic has prepared the team outstandingly. Now we focus on the next opponent. Frydek Mistek has challenged even Charleroi and will be also for us a difficult task, especially away.” But Ochsenhausen has still experienced Christophe Legout up in its sleeve, this time it did without him for tactical reasons.

Kreanga - Molin 11:5, 11:9, 11:5
Smirnov - Maze 11:8, 11:3, 5:11, 11:8
Crisan - Hielscher 11:5, 12:10, 11:8

GROUP B:

Friday, 2. 11. 19.00 h:
SVS Niederösterreich - Caen TTC 1:3

The spectators in the Körner hall of Schwechat experienced a horrible continuation of the Halloween celebration. After successful start — Werner Schlager defeated Martin Bratanov in an eventful match — the match for the home team seemed to run, but the guests acting with full risk did not go through there. The crucial match was Chen Weixings failed première against an outstanding prepared Damien Eloi, which also obtained the point of victory in true play of ecstasy against Werner Schlager. The defeat of Qian Qianli against Jerome Bahuaud came just as unexpectedly. “We are naturally rather disappointed”, summarized Werner Schlager, “today really nothing ran for us, but one cannot calculate always with that much luck as we had in the previous year. And it should not be overlooked also that this was the first match in the new playing mode, which opens better chances to risk players. For players with a repertoire of many variations this means a difficult and not immediately enforceable conversion of their tactics.” The Austrian parade club will thus have to delay its dream of the group victory, now the remaining in the class is placed in the foreground.

Schlager – Bratanov 8:11, 11:3, 1:11, 11:5, 11:5
Chen Weixing - Eloi 10:12, 9:11, 9:11
Qian Qianli - Bahunaud 11:6, 6:11, 7:11, 7:11
Schlager - Eloi 5:11, 11:5, 3:11, 3:11

Sunday, 4. 11. 14.30 h:
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau - STK Vecernji List Zagreb 3:2

The premiere of the Croatian tradition club in the Liebherr European champions League would have become almost the sensation of the round. Only in the very last match, after three hard contested games, Ma Wenge succeeded with a clear fourth one at the point of victory against Roko Tosic. That we were supposed as clear favourite was not really good for us”, meant Grenzau manager Annette Jacobs, “we underestimated our guests a little bit and were put in our place. Alan Bentsen gave a great demonstration and Roko Tosic offered a very strong performance too. We must be very contented with the result.” Less satisfied is the German top club with the new playing system. One criticizes that thereby the whole match runs so fast that teams consisting of four players should be taken into consideration. This idea is surely discussible, but can however only for the next sport year be envisaged.

Korbel - Tosic 11:8, 15:13, 12:14, 11:6
Ma Wenge - Bentsen 9:11, 11:2, 10:12, 10:12
Chen Zhibin - Klaric 11:1, 11:8, 11:6
Korbel - Bentsen 11:2, 4:11, 11:5, 7:11, 9:11
Ma Wenge - Tosic 11:5, 13:11, 11:13, 11:5

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Liebherr Euro Champions League - 1st Round

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