Dobele Handball Team Opens Latvian Cup with Convincing Win Over Riga's ASK/MSĢ
In the Latvian Handball Cup, "ZRHK Tenax Dobele" defeated Riga's "ASK/MSĢ" 35:25, with Ņikita Pančenko top-scoring with nine goals.
The first meeting between "ASK/MSĢ" and "ZRHK Tenax Dobele" in this season's Latvian Handball Cup took place in Riga, ending in a clear victory for the visiting team from Dobele, who won 35:25.
The match began evenly, with the score tied 1:1 after the first two minutes. However, the Dobele side then went on a strong scoring run, netting six unanswered goals over the following six minutes to take a 7:1 lead. Several players contributed to this surge, including Kārlis Krūmiņš, Mārcis Drēviņš and Ņikita Pančenko. The visitors held onto their advantage through the rest of the first half, which ended 16:10 in Dobele's favor.
In the second half, "ZRHK Tenax Dobele" extended their lead further, closing out the match at 35:25. The game's top scorer was Dobele's Ņikita Pančenko, who netted nine goals. For the Riga side, Mārtiņš Ikvils was the leading scorer.
Tournament progress
This is the opening round of the men's Latvian Handball Cup, which features four teams this season — "ZRHK Tenax Dobele", "ASK/MSĢ", "HK Ogre/RSU" and "Salaspils SS". A day earlier, at the same ASK sports hall in Riga, another tournament match took place, in which "HK Ogre/RSU" defeated "Salaspils SS" 37:26.
In the main round, the teams will play each other twice, with the tournament culminating in a "Final-4" format — the decisive matches are scheduled for February 6-7, 2027, in Dobele. After two matches played, "HK Ogre/RSU" and "ZRHK Tenax Dobele" sit atop the standings, both with perfect records.
