LL Grosista Slovan opened its European campaign with a commanding 36-31 away victory over Tatabanya, powered by a remarkable 16-goal performance from Tim Cokan.
Tim Cokan Dominates as Slovan Claims Opening Victory in Hungary
The opening encounter at the Športna dvorana v Tatabanyi saw 1,740 spectators watch the visitors set an aggressive early tone. Under head coach Uroš Zorman, Slovan quickly seized a 5-2 lead within the first six minutes thanks to disciplined defensive play and crisp counter-attacks.
Tatabanya, known for turbulent form that included a notable win over Hungarian champions Pick Szeged, fought back fiercely. The hosts narrowed the gap to a single goal at 5-6 before leveling the score at 8-8 in the 13th minute. Yet Slovan reclaimed the initiative before halftime, propelled by Cokan’s explosive first-half run of nine goals from ten attempts.
Tim Cokan told Delo that “due to the importance of the match and it being our first international game of the season, we started a bit tense, but we quickly pulled ourselves together. We put on an efficient performance and also scored numerous goals from counter-attacks. There were some mistakes in defense, and we still have a lot of room for improvement in that element of the game.”
Controlling the Second Half in Tatabanya
Any hopes Tatabanya had of a second-half comeback were systematically dismantled by Zorman’s squad. The visitors maintained a high shooting efficiency, building on a first-half accuracy rate that reached 90 percent.
By the 36th minute, Staš Skube and Cokan pushed the margin to five goals at 23-18. Slovan continued to press as Tarik Mlivić contributed a crucial steal in the 34th minute to fuel a 4-0 run. The lead swelled to six goals at 28-22 before Domen Tajnik capped a fast break for a 30-23 advantage in the 47th minute.
Goalkeeper Nebojsha Bojić anchored the defense with nine crucial saves, ensuring that every late surge from the home side was neutralized.
Group H Standings and Next European Challenges
With the opening round concluded, Slovan is in Group H alongside Iceland’s Valur. Valur opened their group schedule with a commanding 39-28 victory over Danish side Mors-Thy, setting up a high-stakes clash in Ljubljana for the next round.
Slovan will host Valur on October 6. Before turning their attention back to continental competition, the squad faces a domestic league fixture against Škofljica on Saturday, balancing national ambitions with their deeper European aspirations under Zorman’s guidance.
