Szeged edge Zagreb, while Kielce and Vardar roll on

  An enthralling tripleheader in Group B saw MOL-Pick Szeged celebrate a valuable 26:24 win at HC PPD Zagreb, as champions KS Vive Tauron Kielce blew away IF Kristianstad 38:28 and HC Vardar eased to a 31:27 away victory over Meshkov Brest. Kielce’s stars and winger, Paczkowski, shone against IFK Bielecki and Aguinagalde also in fine form for Kielce   New signing, Vuko Borozan, propelled Vardar against Brest Obranovic sank former club Zagreb in an exciting finish GROUP B   KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) vs IFK Kristianstad (SWE) 38:28 (18:13)    If the opening two rounds are anything to go by, KS Vive Tauron Kielce have no intention of resting after winning their maiden VELUX EHF Champions League title last season.   The Polish title-holders steamrolled at full throttle from start to finish against underdogs IFK Kristianstad, who fought hard, but were outdone by a team of superior quality in every department.   Dynamic duo makes the difference A balanced start to the game, with Kristianstad able to hold their own in the early stages, lasted for seven minutes before Kielce hit top gear thanks to evergreen left back Karol Bielecki and their unstoppable line player, Julen Aguinagalde.   Untypical for a pivot, with exceptional mobility and speed for a player of his size, Spaniard Aguinagalde kept ripping through the visiting defence with swift movement along the six-metre line.   Bielecki, in turn, rifled in a flurry of perimeter shots to give the home side a five-goal lead midway through the first half, which they maintained comfortably at half-time.   The rampant Kielce enjoyed an astonishing 81% shot success rate in the opening period, with Bielecki and Aguinagalde netting four goals each.   Brief fight-back by Kristianstad Philip Henningsson was a rare beacon of light for the visitors and he orchestrated a short-lived comeback, when Kristianstad slashed the deficit to just two goals early in the second half.   Any hopes of an upset the Swedish outfit might have nurtured were extinguished after the relentless Bielecki instigated a fearsome response. Kielce romped away into a 32:23 lead with 10 minutes remaining and the writing was on the wall for Kristianstad.   The home team’s coach, Talant Dujshebaev, could afford to rest many of his starters after his team pulled away. The bench players made the most of their time on the court, as Darko Djukic and veteran goalkeeper Slawomir Szmal kept Kielce firmly in the driving seat.   Effervescent Paczkowski Flowing as a still water that runs deep, winger Pawel Paczkowski ground down his rivals with ruthless efficiency throughout the contest and finished as Kielce’s top scorer with seven goals from as many shots.   …

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