Everything will be played out in Kielce in Poland on the return trip, next Wednesday ... -

Grega Valancic / Sportida / SIPA

  • HBC Nantes lost (24-25) Wednesday night at the H Arena against Kielce in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League.

  • The Nantes, however, had a ball of +5 at the end of the first period and completely missed their return from the locker room.

  • In a week in Poland, it will be necessary to achieve the feat for the HBCN.

And if that was when the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 between HBCN and Kielce changed.

On the wrong side for Nantes, who bowed (24-25) finally Wednesday night in an H Arena behind closed doors.

Three minutes from the end of the first period, Alberto Entrerrios' men have indeed had a ball of +5 (14-10), but instead of widening the gap a little more, it has narrowed. … "It's a lesser evil -2 at halftime [14-12] because we were not in it", even admit the pivot of Kielce Nicolas Tournat, who made his comeback in Nantes for the first time under another jersey.

To make matters worse, the “H” missed his start to the second half, conceding a 0-3 which allowed the Poles to take back control of the game and never let them go.

"The return from the locker room did not go as planned, there were errors and a lack of lucidity", regretted Alberto Entrerrios, who did not wish to explain himself on the lively altercation that he had just after the meeting with Captain Rock Feliho.

And it is moreover this beginning of the second act that leaves a bitter taste in Nantes.

Dragan Pechmalbec did not agree at all when told that the HBCN could have joined the locker room with a more plump advantage.

"It's as if it was a draw", considers Tournat

“Kielce, it's not a lambda team, it's always difficult to widen the gap, no, it's the start of the second half that leaves us a lot of regrets!

"Kielce seemed to fly away thanks in particular to its star Alex Dujshebaev (6 goals on 8 attempts) who pulled out all the stops. It was believed that the HBCN would completely compromise its chances of qualifying from the first leg (17-20 for Kielce in the 49th).

But, Nantes returned "with the heart", according to his trainer.

In the Nantes cage, Emil Nielsen also made some well-felt saves (15 saves on 39 shots, or 38% of saves) keeping his partners afloat.

In the last moments, Ovnicek scored the last goal allowing Nantes to prepare for the return in a week with only one unit behind.

"It's as if it was a draw, a goal in advance is nothing at all," said Nicolas Tournat, author of 3 goals on 4 attempts, who regretted at the beginning of the week to return to a empty room but who admitted that "it was an advantage for Kielce not to have an audience because I know here what it is when it grows in the stands".

In the meantime, Nantes will still have to achieve a real feat in the hall of the 2016 European champions by winning by more than one goal or then a goal if they score more than 25. “Everything is open for the return ”, predicts Alberto Entrerrios.

“There will be something to do there for sure, positive on his side the pivot Dragan Pechmalbec.

We have already done great things in the European Cup away from home… ”On September 24, the Nantes team went to win (27-35) in Kiel, the reigning European champion, it should be remembered .

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