The two teams drew in the first leg of the confrontation last week in Portugal, with Buster Juul-Lassen scoring the equaliser for Aalborg at the buzzer. Sporting’s Francisco Costa was the best scorer of the game with 12 goals, while Thomas Arnoldsen netted eight times for Aalborg.
Sporting only won two away games this season in the competition, in the group phase against Kolstad (34-30) and Bucharest (33-30). Last weekend, Aalborg beat Fredericia in the Danish league (36:26), and Sporting were crowned Portuguese champions after their win against Porto (36-29).
“Playing away is always different, but we played really well against Wisla Plock (when the two sides drew 29-29 in the group phase). The draw (in the first leg) gives us the belief that we could be just 60 minutes away from Cologne (the final four venue). We know how tough it will be, but we believe in it one hundred percent. We were up to the challenge at home, and we need to be the same team there,” says Sporting coach Ricardo Costa.
At stake is a historic place in the final four, an achievement he admits is “extremely difficult” to reach, but the team heads to Denmark with maximum ambition.
“We’ve dreamed a lot already, and I think it’s time to make those dreams come true. It’s extremely difficult, but to get here, under these circumstances, and keep that dream alive is extraordinary. But we’re not satisfied with just that; we want to go to Cologne. It’s the dream of a lifetime,” he emphasized, promising a group of players “ready to give everything”.