First teams reach round 3, Celje score 43 goals

• four teams go into the second leg next weekend with double-digit leads: BK-46, HC Alkaloid, RK Partizan AdmiralBet, and HK FCC Mesto Lovosice beat SKKP Handball Brno, Dragunas Klaipeda, HC Berchem, and KH Besa Famgas, respectively
• former EHF Champions League winners RK Celje Pivovarna Laško scored 43 goals in their away win against RK Gracanica, most of any team; Celje enter the second leg with an eight-goal advantage
• last season’s runners-up Olympiacos SFP claimed a 30:21 win against HC Fivers WAT Margareten, scoring 20 goals in the second half 
• six matches were decided by three goals or less, which makes for exciting return legs next weekend
• VHC Sviesa’s centre back Karolis Bliuvas and Raimond Sassari’s left back Dino Hamidovic scored the most goals in a single match over the weekend, with 13 goals each
• Runar Sandefjord made good use of their home advantage beating CSM Bucuresti 37:25 in the first leg on Sunday, both teams already meet again on Monday for the return leg

Pfadi Winterthur mount successful comeback in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Last season’s EHF European League participants Pfadi Winterthur endured a tough duel with RK Sloboda in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the first leg on Saturday, the Swiss side had a three-goal lead at half-time turned around by the hosts from the 45th minute onwards. A temporary four-goal deficit was cut down to 24:26 after the first 60 minutes.

In the return leg on Sunday, it was a close battle for 30 minutes. The teams changed sides being drawn at 13:13. However, eight minutes later the tables had turned in the favor of Pfadi Winterthur. A 5:0-run fueled by two goals each from Oliver Fløe Nøddesbo Eggert and Alessio Lioi opened the door for the Swiss. They never looked back and secured a decisive 29:20 victory to advance to round 3 by seven goals on aggregate (53:46). Goalkeeper Leonard Grazioli was outstanding with 30 saves (42.9%) over 120 minutes.