Lithuanian champions Klaipėda “Dragūnas” handball players qualified for the second stage according to the ranking and will start the European Cup tournament in October.
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Ambitious newcomers on the path of Lithuanian vice-champions
Last season, “Šviesa” reached the third stage of the European Cup tournament and this season will start a duel with the European tournament debutant Istanbul GSK team. The GSK team was admitted to the Turkish top league only last season and immediately achieved good results. The GSK handball players secured a ticket to the European Cup tournament by finishing 4th in the Turkish championship.
Last season, “Šviesa” won the silver medal in the Lithuanian Handball League and this season welcomes a significant renewal. From the golden “Šviesa” generation, which became Lithuanian champions four times in a row from 2021-2024, only captain Šarūnas Ugianskis and goalkeepers Giedrius Morkūnas and Matas Pranckevičius remain in the Vilnius team.
“We analyzed the opponents’ matches and it is really hard to say who the favorites of the pair are. The Turkish club has many experienced players, while our ranks will have a lot of youth this season. We will see who will give a better result – experience and maturity, or youth and enthusiasm. We set a goal to reach the next stage. Without such goals, we wouldn’t have even registered to play in the European Cup tournament,” said Karolis Bliuvas, who became the head coach of “Šviesa” this season.
Coaching staff reshuffle
Previously an assistant, K. Bliuvas took over the helm of “Šviesa” from Gintaras Cibulskis. He also remains in the coaching staff.
“The position of head coach motivates me a lot. I live handball every day and ideas are bursting out. It will be interesting even for me to see how these ideas will be implemented. So far, everything is going very well, the team listens and we eagerly await every match,” said K. Bliuvas.
This season, “Šviesa” includes four legionnaires from Ukraine, Norway, and Canada. The team was also joined by five young handball players who secured a ticket to the European U20 youth championship this summer with the Lithuanian U18 youth team coached by K. Bliuvas.
“The youth pleasantly surprises with their play and on the court you can’t even see the difference whether it’s a young or already experienced player. The youth, who started the season in July, recently played in the European championship and have reached almost optimal sports form, so they are gaining momentum even when competing with men,” said the “Šviesa” coach.
Kaunas team hopes to end the losing streak
“Granitas-Karys” will meet the Nicosia “Omonoia 29M” club in the first stage of the European Cup tournament. The Cypriot club, debuting in the European Cup tournament, earned their way to international competitions by winning the national cup last season.
The most titled club in our country, “Granitas-Karys,” is a veteran of European tournaments and at the beginning of independence had repeatedly reached the Champions League group stage matches.
“Having received such a draw, we set only one goal – to reach the second stage. An interesting meeting awaits, as the average age of the Cypriot club’s players is well over thirty years and they surpass our young team in this aspect by more than a decade. It will be interesting to see how our youth will stand against big and experienced uncles. We really want to reach the next stage because we haven’t managed to achieve that for a long time,” said Vaidotas Grosas, coach of the “Granitas-Karys” team.
The last time “Granitas-Karys” passed the first stage of the European Cup tournament was in the 2021-2022 season when they crushed Serbia’s Niš “Železničar” club with a total score of 75:40.
In the last four seasons, the Kaunas team fell already in the first stage, losing to Istanbul “Beşiktaş” (Turkey), Reykjavik “Valur” (Iceland), “Jeruzalem Ormož” (Slovenia), and “Sloga Doboj” (Bosnia and Herzegovina) clubs.
European Cup tournament will start under unusual conditions
Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the “Granitas” club broke a tradition that lasted more than half a century – for the first time in history, a foreign player will wear the “Granitas” jersey. The first foreigner is Tunisian representative Mehdi Berry.
“We are probably the youngest team in the Lithuanian Handball League and we need the help of experienced players. This season we will have two older players – Marius Kairys remained in the team and M. Berry joined. All other players are young, with an average age of about 20 years. From the older ones, we want examples of professionalism, and from the youth, we expect mutual competition that will lead forward and encourage the development of young players,” said V. Grosas.
A real test for the young Kaunas team awaits in the first match in Cyprus. The “Omonoia 29M” club is known for its exceptional fan support. Almost a decade ago, the “Omonia” football club was privatized and transferred to foreign investors due to huge debts. Fans who did not want to accept this founded a new club, “Omonoia 29M.” The handball team of “Omonoia 29M,” formed a few years ago, is actively supported by the football club’s fans.
“A real hell awaits us away, as the opponents have a huge backing of fierce football fans. In the small hall where the Cypriot club plays, there is smoking, objects fly around. This can affect our young team, which does not often face such unusual conditions. I hope we will manage to cope with this psychological pressure because we experienced something similar last season playing against a club from Bosnia and Herzegovina. We prepare the team for this immediately after the opponent was revealed in the draw,” said the “Granitas-Karys” coach.
The return match of the first stage of the European Cup tournament will be played by “Granitas-Karys” on September 20 in Alytus. “Šviesa” handball players will host the Istanbul GSK team in the return match on October 19 in Vilnius.
