Clear win for Szeged; Sporting stumble at Eurofarm Pelister

• Sporting CP remain on top of group A with seven points, but dropped their first point of the season after a rollercoaster ride in Bitola ended with a 24:24 draw
• Eurofarm Pelister showed their best performance of not only 2024/25 but into last season, taking their first point after 17 consecutive defeats
• Paris had a tough nut to crack for 45 minutes, but gained a clear 38:30 win thanks to 17 goals from the duo Elohim Prandi and Kamil Syprzak
• after two close victories against Magdeburg (31:29) and Nantes (33:32), Szeged took their biggest win of the season so far
• Szeged's Slovenian-born wing Mario Sostaric, who has played for Croatia since 2023, was top scorer of the match with 10 goals against many of his national teammates — and remains on top of the overall scorer list with 32 goals

GROUP A
Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs Fredericia Håndbold Klub (DEN) 38:30 (18:15)

Fredericia Håndbold Klub have been continually improving in their debut Machineseeker EHF Champions League season. After two clear defeats to open the season and a strong first half against Füchse Berlin in round 3, the Danish side kept up with Paris Saint-Germain for even longer. PSG had an impressive start, leading 10:5, but Fredericia recovered well, were equal until 14:14 and were even on track after the break until 22:24. With Fredericia running out of power, PSG pulled ahead to take their third win in four matches. In contrast to the 24:23 result at Plock in round 3, PSG were not shaken in the final stages on home ground, mainly thanks to the efficiency of their top scorers Elohim Prandi and Kamil Syprzak, who combined for 17 goals.

HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) vs Sporting CP (POR) 24:24 (15:13)

What a thriller in Bitola: After 17 consecutive group phase defeats since the start of the 2023/24 season, Eurofarm Pelister ended this series in an incredible way. Pavle Atanasievikj was the hero of the day, converting a turnover from Sporting with his strike for 24:24 — finishing a final 3:0 run of the hosts. Eurofarm Pelister were ahead from the start until minute 47 of a defence battle, then Sporting took control thanks to their individual skills and seemed on track for their fourth group phase win, leading 24:21 with less than four minutes left. A double strike from Serbian duo Bogdan Radivojevic and Uros Borzas caused a timeout from Sporting coach Ricardo Costa 28 seconds before the end, but his side failed in their last attack, causing a turnover. Three players from each team scored five goals, including the sides’ overall top scorers Filip Kuzmanovski (26 goals in total this season for Eurofarm Pelister) and Martim Costa (25 for Sporting).

GROUP B
HC Zagreb (CRO) vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) 30:35 (12:19)

Six unanswered goals within six minutes after 8:8 paved the way for Szeged’s clear half-time advantage. After losing the last two away games at Zagreb, the Hungarian side were well aware of the hosts and adapted mainly through their defence, pulling ahead to an eight-goal margin at 19:11. In attack, Croatian international Sostaric was unstoppable, scoring five of his 10 goals before the break. Another key to Szeged’s advantage was new goalkeeper Tobias Thulin, with seven saves after 30 minutes and 11 in total. Boosted by their fans, Zagreb showed a different face in the first 15 minutes of the second half, reduced the gap to 21:24 and were close to turning the match around. That was Szeged’s wake-up call, and thanks to a 4:1 run, they finally decided the match at 28:22.