Motor cruise past Vardar, Komok shines with 15 saves

Motor

In postponed Round 1 match of SEHA - Gazprom League Motor Zaporozhye was in Ukraine dominantly better than Vardar 1961 with 30:23. Gennadiy Komok led them with 15 saves in what might easily turn out to be the key match in determining who enters this season’s Play-Offs from the ‘pole position’ in the group.

Hosts were a much better team from the very first minute – in attack orchestrated by Aidenas Malasinskas and on the defensive side of the court as well allowing only two goals (9:2) in opening 15 minutes of the game. 'Red&Black' managed to catch a better rhythm after that not allowing a catastrophe in Ukraine finishing the first half with the same seven-goal deficit (16:9). Their offense was on a few occasions looking a bit better, especially when coach Alushovski decided to attack Motor’ zone with seven players but in the first half those were nothing but flashes of what we all know five-time champions are capable of. Another big difference was that between their two goalkeepers with Gennadiy Komok grabbing nine saves in the first while Robin Cantegrel on the other side managed to stop only one shot. It is fair to say things simply weren’t functioning well for Vardar in the first half.

Motor was able to stay in control of the tempo in the second half as well opening the gap to double digits for the first time ten minutes into the second over Taras Minotskyi (23:13). Coach Savukinas used the early achieved big lead to rotate a bit more than usual giving everyone a chance to feel the court and get ready for future both SEHA and Champions League challenges. In the end 30:23. Horiha, Burzak and Minotskyi finished the match with six each for Motor while Sevaljevic scored five for Vardar.

Motor will in the next round travel to Croatia to meet Nexe. Vardar’s next appearance on SEHA court will be against the same opponent, this time in their Jane Sandaski sports hall.