SAH - Aarhus, Saint-Raphael Var Handball, IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun, Elverum Håndball, IK Sävehof and Recken - TSV Hannover-Burgdorf all have the next stage firmly in sight, following decisive wins in the first leg. The other six ties are completely open, having seen narrow results in the first leg.
CS Minaur Baia Mare and Stjarnan are the only teams who enter their second-leg tie starting from zero, as they drew in the reverse fixture and will now fully decide the outcome on Saturday in Iceland.
The 24 teams contesting the qualification round and qualification special path are fighting to join the 20 sides pre-seeded into the group matches, which will begin on 14 October and run into early December.
HIGHLIGHT MATCHES
QUALIFICATION ROUND
MRK Sesvete (CRO) vs MRK Dugo Selo (CRO)
Saturday 6 September, 19:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
First leg: 29:32
- the Croatian derby was one of the closest encounters of the opening round, although Dugo Selo led throughout the entire match and Sesvete had to settle for keeping the gap as narrow as possible
- at times the score line in the first encounter was as clear as five, but Sesvete pushed to the end and came within one goal inside the last 10 minutes, finishing with a narrow loss that gives them a promising position ahead of the home leg
- Dugo Selo goalkeeper Vladimir Gošic shone in the opening leg, with 18 saves at a rate of 40 per cent, making him the standout individual in the clash
- after two seasons in the EHF European Cup, which included a quarter-final participation in 2022/23, Sesvete played the group matches of the EHF European League last year; they also contested the EHF European League in 2021/22, bowing out in the qualification round of what was their maiden international season
- Dugo Selo are on debut in European cup competitions and hope to mark that with the success of a qualification for the next stage
BSV Bern (SUI) vs MRK Cakovec (CRO)
Sunday 7 September, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
First leg: 31:28
- the first leg saw the advantage change sides multiple times, with Cakovec recovering from a slow start that had them trailing by up to three goals to lead 15:13 at half-time
- the second half of the reverse leg had a tight tussle, with the score either level or with a narrow edge for Bern; after 22:22 in the 45th minute, Bern held the lead to the final buzzer
- Bern right wing Levin Wanner scored the most goals across all encounters in the first leg, netting 11
- Cakovec are on their first participation in an international club competition, while Bern have a long history in European cup competitions — but, while the Swiss side participated in the EHF Cup three times, neither side has played the EHF European League before
- Bern’s standout achievements on the international stage are two semi-final appearances in the Challenge Cup and making it to the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals twice; the latest of those achievements was in 2011/12
