Ruislip Eagles missed out on second spot in the National Super 8 Handball League, losing 31-28 against Salford, but still qualified to play in Europe.
The Eagles were punished for missing early opportunities and were six goals down at half-time, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
They fought back, scoring six goals without reply, but Salford finished strongly and secured second place.
However, the Eagles’ fourth-placed finish means they will compete in Europe for the third season running.
And they will face Salford again in the EHA Cup final on 8 June at Crystal Palace.
Eagles manager Marc Fayemi admitted: “We had particularly large scoring problems in the first half. We can only blame ourselves.
“Many things went wrong that we need to address before the final of the cup in June. We have the ability to bounce back if we regroup and tactically change a few things.”
Team: Tibor Szerencze, Andrius Rinkevicius, Stefan Bauer (goalkeepers) – Michael Vitello (6), Bjoern Tessmann (6), Denis Werner (5), Lucas Carstens (5), Marc Fayemi (2), David Sedlacek (2), Maxime Rebelle (1), Hadrien Pollino (1), Fredrik Charpentier, Fabien Colette
Coach: Amer Altimimi
For more news, go to www.ruislipeagleshandball.co.uk or contact Ruislip Eagles via Facebook or Twitter – @RuislipEagles.
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