Day 11, Group B: Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) v CN Marseille (FRA) 11-9
Two great action goals in 42 seconds late in the first period put Marseille ahead at 2-3, and they went on fighting in the second, and two minutes before the middle break they were 3-5 up already. Spandau pulled one back from action then the French missed a man-up in the last seconds.
That hit back as Luca Marziali equalised right away, 19 seconds into the third, and as it often happened in the season, the French game started deteriorating in the second half. This time a missed 6 on 4 was the first sign for that, then Spandau’s goal from an extra which put them ahead at 6-5. Ugo Crousillat equalised but then Roman Shepelev showed how a proper put-away in a 6 on 4 looks like, and in 63 seconds Denis Strelezkij doubled Spandau’s lead at 8-6. The French bounced back somewhat late in the period, buried two man-ups for 8-8 and killed Spandau’s extra to enter the fourth period with an even score.
Shepelev delivered in a 6 on 5 after a time-out in a minute, then came another meltdown from the French: two missed man-ups, followed by a German action goal – with :246 to go, it didn’t look great from Marseille’s perspective at 10-8. Vladan Spaic pulled one back after he was set up in a fine play in extra and a bit later Marseille had the chance to equalise, but they missed the next 6 on 5 with 1:27 to go. Soon Spandau closed down the contest with Strelezkij’s fine finish, which he made after a longer extraman-play.
The win kept Spandau in the race, though erasing the four-point gap between them and Jug still looks like a mission impossible – at the same time, Marseille bowed out from the contest as they lost their sixth away matches in the season.
How they saw it
Athanasios Kechagias, coach, Spandau
“First of all, congratulations to my player, they did their best, fought till the end with concentration and with a lot of energy. I’m proud of my team, we were clever but also aggressive, we played with good energy.”
Milos Scepanovic, coach, Marseille
“Spandau played an amazing game, for us only one option has been left, to try do our best for the rest of the season.”
