The EuroHockey Club Trophy II Men 2025 began excitingly in Lousada, Portugal, with tight battles and plenty of late goals. A thrilling 4–3 win for HK Zelina, a high-scoring comeback by WKS Grunwald Poznan, and a dramatic 3–3 draw involving hosts AD Lousada set the tone for what promises to be an action-packed tournament.
Game 1: HC Rotweiss Wettingen 3–4 HK Zelina
Croatia’s HK Zelina edged a thriller against HC Rotweiss Wettingen with a dramatic late winner.
Mihael Posavec opened the scoring from a penalty stroke (32’), but Wettingen equalised via Mika Conrad (45’). Bohdan Kovalenko (50’) and Posavec again (53’) put Zelina 3–1 ahead, only for Wettingen to hit back through Michel Morard (56’) and Dylan Wendelspeiss (57’) to level at 3–3. Ivan Šoić then grabbed an instant reply (58’) to seal victory for Zelina.
Game 2: WKS Grunwald Poznan 7–5 HC Bra
Polish champions WKS Grunwald Poznan overcame an early deficit to defeat HC Bra 7–5 in a pulsating match.
Bra raced into a 3–1 lead inside 20 minutes through Priyesh Bhana and Andrii Koshelenko. Grunwald fought back with goals from Damian Jarzembowski and Paweł Bratkowski to level at 4–4 by the end of the third quarter. The Poles then took control with second-half goals from Artur Mikula, Bratkowski (completing a hat-trick), and Serhii Riabchuk. Koshelenko added a late penalty stroke, but Grunwald secured the points.
Game 3: AD Lousada 3–3 Slagelse HC
Hosts AD Lousada were involved in an exciting 3–3 draw with Slagelse HC from Denmark.
Vasco Ribeiro opened the scoring for Lousada (22’) before Markus Hansen equalised (24’). The hosts regained the lead through Ricardo Teixeira (34’), with Slagelse responding via Frederik Trebbien (38’). Carlos Almeida put Lousada ahead once more (45’), but a 49th-minute penalty stroke from Nikolaj Moll ensured the spoils were shared.
Summary
An action-packed opening day in Lousada saw attacking hockey take centre stage. HK Zelina claimed an important Pool B win, while Grunwald Poznan showcased their scoring power. Meanwhile, hosts AD Lousada provided great entertainment for their home fans. With everything still to play for, the competition looks set for more drama on Day 2.
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