Raimond Sassari beat Kastrioti 37-28 in the first leg of the second round of the EHF European Cup, played on Saturday October 17 at PalaSantoru. The win gives the Rossoblù a nine-goal lead ahead of the return leg, scheduled for Sunday, October 18 at 7:15 p.m. at the same venue. Qualification will be decided by the aggregate score over the two matches.
Sassari took control of the match straight away, going 5-1 up in the seventh minute. After Gregulowski made it 10-6 in the 13th minute, Ratko Durkovic’s team extended their lead with a five-goal run, reaching 15-6 thanks to Ben Hiba. Kastrioti fought back late in the first half, and the scoreboard read 21-15 to Raimond at the break.
Sassari maintained their lead after the break. Mura restored a nine-goal advantage at 25-16 in the 39th minute, while Pugliese made it 33-23 in the 54th minute, briefly extending the gap to ten goals. The score remained broadly unchanged over the final five minutes, ending at 37-28. The Rossoblù therefore finished the first match with a significant lead, but qualification is still undecided.
Raimond shared the goals among nine players. Raul Bargelli and Davide Pugliese were the match’s top scorers, with seven goals each; Furtado and Jarlstam scored five apiece, while Mura and Mouriño had four each. Ben Hiba and De La Santa also contributed two goals each, and Delogu scored once. For Kastrioti, Gregulowski scored nine times, while Isufi and Lakicevic finished with five each.
The return leg is scheduled for Sunday, October 18 at 7:15 p.m. at PalaSantoru. The two matches are being played back-to-back in Sassari, and qualification depends on the aggregate number of goals scored over the full 120 minutes. The schedule for the two-legged tie had been announced in the days beforehand: read the report on the European two-legged tie against the Kosovar side.