Russia kept their quarterfinal chance alive after beating South Korea 29-22 in their last preliminary game at the Beijing Olympic men's handball event on Monday.
"Our key to win today's game is fighting together. Every player played well and our teamwork was at the best level. However, I think today's match only showed 80 percent of our potential," said Russia's coach Vladimir Maksimov.
After winning the game, Russia have earned five points and ranked third in Group B. With only one preliminary game to go in Group B between Germany and Russia, Russia will not have to pack their baggage, unless the game ends with a draw.
"I am not afraid of the draw of the two teams. The possibility is just so slim," added Maksimov.
Vitaly Ivanov scored the opening goal for Russia in the first minute before Russia enjoyed a 12-6 run 17 minutes into the game. The South Korean team, who had already clinched their berth in the final eight, appeared absent-minded in the court, with their leaking defence constantly broken through by the combative Russians.
"We knew that South Korea is a fast team so we spread the field. We were not in a hurry to attack. We wanted to slow the match down and focus on maintaining our positions. The South Korean team had already qualified for the quarterfinals so there was a possibility that they didn't play their hardest," Russian left winger Timur Dibirov.
Pivot Egor Evdokimov led Russia with five goals and he was also the most efficient player in the court, converting five in five shots. South Korean right back Yoon Kyung-shin topped the scoring list with seven goals, but he failed to receive enough support from his teammates.
"All of our players were unified today and we cooperated pretty well. We have an advantage in our height and physical strength compared to Korea. We tried to break their defence line when they showed their weak points and we made them play passively," said Russian left back Alexey Rastvortsev.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2008)