Among the confrontations played over the weekend, no club managed to turn over the first-leg result. Spanish side Super Amara Bera Bera was probably the closest to such a comeback, but they fell one goal short against Sola. But there was consolation for Spanish fans, as Costa del Sol Malaga delivered one of the performances of the weekend by booking their ticket away in Copenhagen.
MKS FunFloor Lublin, Storhamar Handball Elite and HSG Bensheim/Auerbach all booked their group phase berths as well after winning the first legs with a big advantage last week.
- Lokomotiva Zagreb were the only team already qualified prior to this weekend, thanks to their win against Brühl (53:43 on aggregate)
- after finishing third at the EHF Finals 2023, Dortmund were eliminated after conceding their second loss against Braila (22:27)
- 2021 European League winners Neptunes Nantes booked their ticket after inflicting Molde a second defeat (30:24)
- right wing Magda Balsam delivered the performance of the day, scoring 12 out of 12 shots to power Lublin to a 44:24 win against ZORK Jagodina
- Malaga booked their ticket away from home in Copenhagen, after the 29:29 draw in Spain last week, thanks to a stellar performance by Silvia Arderius Martin (12 goals)
- the draw for the European League Women 2023/24 group phase will take place at 11:00 CET on Thursday 23 November, live on YouTube
Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs Praktiker-Vác (HUN) 32:33 (14:16)
(Praktiker-Vác win 70:53 on aggregate)
Váci were practically out of trouble after their 16-goal win in the first leg, and the Hungarian side put the cherry on the cake by winning the return leg in Kastamonu. After scoring six in the first game, Csenge Kuczora was elemental again for her team, netting 10 times, including the last two penalty goals to secure the win. Kastamonu had come back in the second half and led by two goals with six minutes remaining, but Váci soon equalised and Kuczora made sure of the victory and progression to the next round.
DHK Banik Most (SVK) vs Chambray Touraine HB (FRA) 27:27 (14:13)
(Chambray Touraine HB win 60:47 on aggregate)
After winning the first leg by 13 goals, Chambray secured their group phase ticket by drawing in Slovakia. While Most took a maximum advantage of three goals in the first half (13:10), when Natalie scored the third of her six goals of the evening, Chambray never let their opponents cruise away on the scoreboard. Powered by Nadia Mielke-Offendal, who netted five times, the visitors quickly came back within the game and even took a four-goals lead with the end in sight. But thanks to a last-second equaliser by Tereza Eksteinova, Banik finally got the draw in front of their fans.
Super Amara Bera Bera (ESP) vs Sola HK (NOR) 34:28 (15:12)
(Sola HK win 67:66 on aggregate)
Sola will be in the EHF European League group phase again this season, but their qualification came down to a single goal. Despite being down by seven on aggregate at the start of the game, Bera Bera gave it everything they got. Led by Mariane Cristina Oliveira Fernandes, who netted eight today, the Spanish side gradually increased their advantage on the scoreboard. Leading by three goals at the break, by four with 10 minutes left to play and six with two minutes left to play, Bera Bera almost made it. But Rikke Marie Granlund was key for Sola, stopping two seven-metre throws in the last minute to help Sola progress to the group phase.
SPONO Eagles (SUI) vs HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 17:26 (9:13)
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs SPONO Eagles (SUI) 32:26 (20:11)
(HC Podravka Vegeta win 58:43 on aggregate)
In Koprivnica, Croatian side Podravka Vegeta won the double-header against SPONO Eagles in style. Thanks to Tina Barisic scoring seven and Lucija Besen making 16 saves at a 51.6 per cent efficiency rate, Podravka cruised away in the first leg to win by nine goals (26:17). Sunday’s game proved to be a much more offensive affair, with the hosts netting 20 in the first half alone. Down by nine at the break (11:20), SPONO Eagles did their best to show a good face, with Nuria Bucher netting nine, but their opponents proved to be definitely deserving of their qualification.
The girls who did not play yesterday and who normally have less playing time played. They were excellent defensively and offensively, with a lot of thinking and concentration. That's how we opened the first minutes of the second half, and then there was a drop in concentration. That made me a little angry, and if you're a coach, you have to be angry.
We felt the strength of Podravka and we wish them the best in the group phase. They belong there. We have a very young team, we have players who want to achieve at this level. I expected them to fight and to give their best and if we look at these two matches, we can learn a lot from this and take a lot with us to our league in Switzerland.
We already struggled in attack in the first half. Nine goals is simply not enough. We were within two goals at one point, but we made easy mistakes in attack. That also led to Braila scoring twice in a seven-on-six game. That decided the game.
