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Champions League: Saarbrücken suffers surprise loss in Lille
1.FC Saarbrücken TT suffered a surprise defeat in the Champions League. In Friday’s first leg at Lille Metropole TT, the defending champions lost 2–3, though they played without Hugo Calderano and Truls Möregårdh.
1.FC Saarbrücken TT had most recently won the Champions League four times in a row, and the Saarland team is once again among the top favorites this season. In the Round of 16, however, Saarbrücken is now under pressure following its 2-3 loss in the first leg at Lille Metropole TT. The second leg in Saarbrücken will take place on December 20 (1:00 p.m.).
In Lille, the FCS found itself trailing from the start. In the first singles match, Alvaro Robles quickly fell behind against Romain Brard and ultimately suffered a 1–3 loss. Patrick Franziska then evened the score, giving Amir Hossein Hodaei no chance (3–0). This pattern repeated itself in the next two singles matches: Once again, Lille took the lead, this time through Fabio Rakotoarimanana against Albert Vilardell (3–0), and once again Franziska evened the score (3–0 against Brard). The decisive fifth singles match then went to the French team once more: Robles also lost to Hodaei (0–3), meaning Saarbrücken will now need to step up its performance in the return match to advance to the quarterfinals.
The day before, Borussia Düsseldorf, another team from the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), had advanced to the round of 16. The German record champions prevailed 3–1 at AS Pontoise Cergy TT.
Champions League at a glance
Round of 16
First legs
Lille Metropole TT – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:2
Romain Brard – Alvaro Robles 3:1 (11:5, 6:11, 11:4, 11:7)
Amir Hossein Hodaei – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (4:11, 5:11, 5:11)
Fabio Rakotoarimanana – Albert Vilardell 3:0 (11:5, 12:10, 11:8)
Romain Brard – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (9:11, 8:11, 6:11)
Amir Hossein Hodaei – Alvaro Robles 3:0 (11:4, 12:10, 11:9)
AS Pontoise Cergy TT – Borussia Düsseldorf 1:3
Jules Cavaille– Kanak Jha 0:3 (8:11, 2:11, 11:13)
Flavio Mourier– Dang Qiu 1:3 (9:11, 11:9, 4:11, 7:11)
Mihai Bobocica – Anton Källberg 3:2 (11:9, 10:12, 5:11, 11:9, 6:4)
Jules Cavaille – Dang Qiu 0:3 (2:11, 5:11, 4:11)
KS Dojlidy Białystok – KS Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów 0:3
SF SKK El Nino Praha – KS Dekorglass Dzialdowo 1:3
HB Ostrov – GV Hennebont TT 0:3
Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61 – Alliance Nîmes Montpellier 3:0
TTC Sokah Hoboken – Real Club Priego Kutxabank 3:2
Saturday, November 14, 5 p.m.: ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi – KS Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowieck
Second legs
December 18
6 p.m.: KS Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowieck – ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi
7 p.m.: Borussia Düsseldorf – AS Pontoise Cergy TT
7 p.m.: GV Hennebont TT – HB Ostrov
7.30 p.m.: Alliance Nîmes Montpellier – Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61
December 19
7 p.m.: Real Club Priego Kutxabank – TTC Sokah Hoboken
December 20
12 p.m.: KS Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów – KS Dojlidy Białystok
1 p.m.: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Lille Metropole TT
5 p.m.: KS Dekorglass Dzialdowo – SF SKK El Nino Praha
Header image: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT's Alvaro Robles (by BeLa Sportfoto)
