Paris and Kolstad share points in MOTW; Aalborg save a point against Kiel

• Aalborg escaped a desperate situation, turning over a six-goals deficit to take a point at home against Kiel (27:27)
• Szeged broke Pelister’s hopes of getting their first points of the season in the last seconds, taking the win (28:27) thanks to Zoltan Szita
• in a tight Match of the Week, Paris and Aalborg drew (28:28)
• thanks to his nine saves, including two seven-meters throws, Paris’ Andreas Palicka was selected as Player of the Match

GROUP A

HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) 27:28 (12:15)

Pelister came very close to taking their first point of the season in the EHF Champions League, but fell short against Szeged. The Hungarian side took the lead in the first half and kept it for most of the game. With their Slovenian players, Matej Gaber and Borut Mackovsek at the wheel, Szeged took a four goal lead in the 22nd minute. But. far from letting their heads get down, the hosts battled through to come back. Uros Borzas, who scored six overall, gave his team a huge offensive boost and Filip Kuzmanovski evened the score with nine minutes left on the clock. The match came down to the last second, with Zoltan Szita scoring the game-winner for Szeged to inflict Pelister with their eighth defeat of the season.

Aalborg Handbold (DEN) vs THW Kiel (GER) 27:27 (13:17)

THW Kiel almost made up for their loss from last week and they almost got their revenge on Aalborg this Wednesday. But only “almost”. While the opening minutes of the match were closing, the German side broke away with five straight goals to lead (9:14). Niclas Ekberg and Nikola Bylik led THW in scoring as Kiel finished the half up by four (13:17). Tomas Mrkva's arrival between the posts was a big factor the first part of the second half. With four saves in the first ten minutes of the second act, the Czech goalkeeper helped his team take a six-goals advantage at the 40th minute, the biggest of the evening. But, this lead did not last, as Aalborg outscored Kiel six goals to one in the last ten minutes. Simon Hald Jensen scored the equalizer in the 58th minute and then both teams missed seven-meter throws before the game ended in a draw.

MOTW: Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA) vs Kolstad Handball (NOR) 28:28 (13:15)

Kolstad picked up things exactly where they let them one week ago at home. With a strong defense and a couple of saves by Torbjorn Bergerud, the Norwegian side powered through the first half. After scoring three goals in a row, Kolstad took the lead for the first time in the 22nd minute and they did not take their foot off the pedal. Scoring five first half goals, Sander Sagosen did not show any mercy for his former teammates and in his wake, the visitors pushed the lead to four goals before Paris cut the lead to two at the break. After half-time, Paris regained the momentum, with a more aggressive defense and Andreas Palicka, the Player of the Match, making crucial saves behind the posts. While both teams had the opportunity to win the game, neither managed to put the nail in the coffin. Elohim Prandi, best scorer of the game with 10 goals, had the last opportunity, but could not convert it, leaving both teams to finish on a draw.