SF2: HTC Uhlenhorst Mülheim – Atletic Terrassa HC

Match report

Pau Cunill wrote himself into Atlètic Terrassa club folklore with two goals in a crazy last three minutes to first them into a first ever EHL GRAND FINAL, outdoing Uhlenhorst Mülheim 3-2.

As recently as November, he was in the club’s second team but his incredibly corner prowess has brought him to prominence.

Timm Herzbruch scored the only goal of the first half before Atlèti came on strong in the second half and equalised via Jordi Bonastre. Cunill then stepped up to score in the last three minutes before Herzbruch tied it at 2-2 with 60 seconds to go. But, with just four seconds left, the Spanish side won a corner which Cunill nailed for 3-2.

Uhlenhorst were the side in the ascendancy in the first quarter with Malte Hellwig firing the first warning shot in the first few minutes, producing an outstanding save from Marc Calzada.

Timm Herzbruch’s typical driving runs were also causing danger but it was from a more static position that he put the team in front in the 11th minute. Hellwig’s shot hit a foot to earn a corner from which the ensuing shot hit Ignasi Torras on the goal line on the body, leading to a stroke which Herzbruch scored.

Calzada saved once more from Hellwig to keep the gap at 1-0 at the end of the quarter as Pepe Cunill’s corner shot rebounded off the post, albeit after a free out had already been awarded.

Atlètic settled more into their rhythm in the second quarter with Albert Beltran and Marc Salles’ energy driving them forward to great effect but the one corner they received was annulled by a video review.

And the Catalan side continued to push for an equaliser in the third quarter. A lovely drive from Joan Tarres nearly unlocked the door but his high shot took Beltran by surprise as he almost turned in his high ball by accident.

They went level amid a melée in the circle with the ball bouncing this way and that before Jordi Bonastre spotted the loose ball and poked it in.

And they looked the more likely to grab the next goal through the fourth quarter with Beltran continuing to be the main man, especially as Uhlenhorst struggled with discipline.

Captain Tobias Matania was shown a yellow to miss the last five minutes for hitting a ball away after a whistle to up the pressure as they also conceded a couple of corners, too.

And eventually it led to the go-ahead goal as Pau Cunill in the 57th minute – in his first ever EHL game – stood forward to shoot just past the head of Lennart Küppers with a vicious corner flick.

They were not yet over the line, however, as Uhlenhorst won another corner with 50 seconds to go and it was switched into the path of Herzbruch who dragged in off Calzada to make it 2-2.

But, with a free in the last few seconds, Atlètic threw on another outfield player and it worked as they won another corner which Cunill went low to power into the backboard for a famous victory.