Kiel first to reach knockout phase; Aarhus win Nordic derby

Also in group I, two-time defending champions SG Flensburg-Handewitt bounced back from their opening-round loss against Kiel by beating Montpellier Handball 40:35 in a rematch of last season's final.

Another German team could have followed Kiel with an early ticket to the next phase, but MT Melsungen sufferered their first defeat of the competition, as 10 goals from Jaka Malus and nine from Vukašin Vorkapić helped HC Vardar 1961 claim an important 37:33 home win. For Melsungen, that missed many regulars due to injury or illness, even 12 goals from Reynir Þór Stefánsson were not enough to keep their clean sheet.

In one of the highlight matches of round 2, SAH - Aarhus defeated Elverum Håndball 32:25 in a Nordic derby that saw the Danish side go two points clear at the top of group II.

Another notable result was achieved by Recken - TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, who used a frenetic second half to down Kadetten Schaffhausen 36:24 in a duel between the two teams that shared the lead in group IV coming into the match.

HIGHLIGHT MATCHES

GROUP I

SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Montpellier Handball (FRA) 40:35 (21:20)

After Flensburg lost (against Kiel) and Montpellier won (against Irun) their respective opening match of the main round last week, a tight encounter between the two finalists from last season was expected — and that is exactly what the fans in the packed arena in Flensburg got to see. Flensburg and Montpellier kept each other in the balance for almost the entire first half. The visitors from France enjoyed a two-goal lead twice (8:10 in the 12th, and 15:17 in the 23rd minute), but not more than one goal separated the teams otherwise.

The high-intensity game continued on the same level after the break, and Flensburg first led by more than one when Axel Horgen made it 33:31 with 13 minutes left to play. When Benjamin Richert sent a seven-metre shot wide for Montpellier, Flensburg right back Niclas Kirkeløkke seized the opportunity to create the first three-goal advantage (34:31) in the entire match, which turned out to become a pivotal moment. Flensburg never looked back and gradually extended their lead. As Montpellier failed to score again in the last four minutes and 40 seconds, Flensburg's win came never under threat in the closing stages. The trio of Patrick Volz (nine), Niclas Kirkeløkke (eight) and Simon Pytlick (seven) combined for 24 goals for the hosts; Valentin Porte and Leo Plantin netted five times each for Montpellier. Even though Flensburg now lead 8-3 in the head-to-head comparison, this result marked only the first home win for the German side against Montpellier since March 2016.

It is with deep sadness that the European Handball Federation learnt of the passing of a visitor at tonight's EHF European League match, SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Montpellier Handball. Our condolences and thoughts are with the family, relatives and friends in this difficult time.

GROUP III

SAH - Aarhus (DEN) vs Elverum Håndball (NOR) 32:25 (14:12)

Both coming into the match with opening-round wins last week, SAH and Elverum knew what was at stake in this Nordic derby. In an odd opening phase to the rather slow first half, Aarhus failed to get on the scoreboard for the first five minutes, allowing Elverum to open a three-goal lead. And after left back Emil Lærke had finally netted, the hosts were shut out again, this time for three more minutes. But when Aarhus did find their stride after nine minutes, they quickly enjoyed an 8:1 run which put them up by four going into the 20th minute. The lead became as big as five goals when Morten Dahlgaard netted for 11:6, but Elverum's Benjamin Berg scored two goals in succession shortly before the break to reduce the gap to just two.

Still, their dominant phase from the first half helped Aarhus after the break, as the Danish hosts remained in control of the game most of the time. Dominik Máthé initially brought Elverum within one, but another goal from Emil Lærke — who would finish on a game-leading 10 goals — and two from Andreas Søgaard put Aarhus firmly back into pole position. The difference varied between three and four goals until the final 10 minutes, when Aarhus managed a final push and Elverum got aware that this would not become their night. The result gives Aarhus a two-point lead in the group standings heading into the final two matches of the main round, starting with the reverse fixture in Norway next week.

IN OTHER MATCHES

GROUP I

IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun (ESP) vs THW Kiel (GER) 32:37 (15:18)

GROUP II

Fraikin BM. Granollers (ESP) vs FC Porto (POR) 27:29 (8:12)

GROUP III

IFK Kristianstad (SWE) vs Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) 34:38 (18:19)

HC Vardar 1961 (MKD) vs MT Melsungen (GER) 37:33 (18:19)

GROUP IV

Kadetten Schaffhausen (SWI) vs Recken - TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (GER) 24:36 (13:15)

RK Nexe (CRO) vs Fredericia Håndboldklub (DEN) 33:34 (15:19)

photos © Heimar Marcos (main); Ingrid Anderson-Jensen, Ole Nielsen (in-text)