In their premier SEHA Gazprom League final tournament appearance Motor Zaporozhye were in the bronze-medal match on Sunday afternoon in Zadar better than Meshkov Brest.

Ukrainian coach Gintaras Savukynas was satisfied with the way his team performed, especially in the second half.

'Congrats to my guys. Match of two different halves – first was quite levelled but in the second one we’ve managed to open the gap. I’m satisfied with the attitude, with the improvements we’ve made after the match against Veszprem. Communication in the middle of our defense was much better today and overall I can say I’m satisfied with our performance and happy about the victory in the end.’

Meshkov’ coach Daniel Gordo agreed that we’ve today seen two completely different halves.

‘Defenses were functioning really well in the first half on both sides but we slowed down in the second allowing them to open the gap and sail towards the victory. We have to analyze the match and look for opportunities to improve. Motor players were running the court much better in this one which was also one of the keys in this one.

Barys Pukhouski said these two matches against top-quality teams here in Zadar were just what Motor needed in the beginning of the season.

‘Great tournament for us. I feel like we’re on the right path. We were dealing with a lot of injuries in the pre-season but we’re slowly starting to show what we’re capable of. There is still room for improvements but we can be satisfied with where we are at the moment. Our matches against Meshkov are always great with both teams delivering fighting performances and I’d like to congratulate Brest on yet another good performance.

Vladimir Vranjes concluded there are a lot of things Meshkov will have to focus on and improve for what will be a long season.

‘Well-deserved win for Motor. Good first half performance from our side but in the second we’ve allowed them to open the gap quickly and easily which proved to be the key in this one. The outcome in the end is not realistic in my opinion. I don’t think the difference between these two teams is that big. However, there are a lot of things we’ll have to focus on in the future.