Kolstad clinch crucial win; Barca remain unbeaten

• this was the highest scoring match ever for Füchse in the European premium competition, breaking the record set against Kadetten in February 2013, of 75 goals, while PSG only had one higher-scoring match, 79 goals against Veszprem in 2022
• Mathias Gidsel was once again Füchse’s top scorer, with 10 goals, but could not help his side prevent the third loss of the season and their second in a row
• Kolstad Håndbold dominated the match against Szeged to take only their second away win in 10 matches in their history in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, 29:27
• with nine goals, Szeged’s right wing Mario Sostaric, who improved his tally to 42 goals, became the third player to hit the 40-goal mark this season, after Veszprem’s right back Nedim Remili and PSG’s line player Kamil Syprzak
• Barça maintained their 100 per cent record at home over Magdeburg, with the fourth win in four matches, after a dominating performance which dished the fourth loss in six matches this season for the German champions
• scoring at least 30 goals for the sixth match in a row and becoming the first team to pass the 200-goal milestone this season, Veszprém jumped to the top of group B, after their fifth win in six matches, 30:23, against HC Eurofarm Pelister

GROUP A

MOTW: Füchse Berlin (GER) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) 38:40 (20:20)

Over the past two matches, the losses against Sporting CP in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League and against Melsungen in the Bundesliga, Füchse could not count on their top goal scorer, Mathias Gidsel, and their starting goalkeeper, Dejan Milosavljev. They were both back in the Match of the Week against Paris Saint-Germain Handball, as Gidsel was once again fantastic, scoring in double digits, finishing as the top scorer of the match, with 10 goals. But their comebacks were not enough to lift Füchse to their fourth win of the season, as the German side simply could not match the attacking output delivered by PSG, which had an evening to remember. The French champions scored 40 goals for the first time in two seasons, with the mark last being hit in November 2022 against GOG, and had a fantastic 74 per cent shot efficiency. PSG also leapfrogged Sporting CP after their fourth consecutive win, bouncing back in style after the heavy loss against Veszprém, while Füchse are still fifth in the standings and are slowly losing contact with the top teams in the group.

HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) vs Veszprém HC (HUN) 23:30 (12:17)

A new coach for HC Eurofarm Pelister, Zvonko Shundovski, who assumed the caretaker position after Branislav Angelovski resigned last week, did not bring the much-needed impetus for the Macedonian side, who conceded their fifth loss in six matches and the 24th in 26 matches in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League. Veszprém jumped to first place in the group with the fifth win in six matches in yet another dominating display from the Hungarian champions. Xavi Pascual’s side scored at least 30 goals for the sixth match in a row, becoming the first side to pass 200 goals this season, while goalkeeper Rodrigo Coralles saved 15 shots for a 39.4 per cent saving efficiency.

GROUP B

OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) vs Kolstad Håndbold (NOR) 27:29 (12:12)

The first two home matches for OTP Bank - PICK Szeged brought two close encounters, but the Hungarian side sealed two wins. But in a well-balanced group, every match is crucial, therefore Szeged needed to clinch a win against Kolstad, a team which had only won once in their first five matches. And for the first 20 minutes, everything looked comfortable, with the hosts taking a three-goal lead. But a 4:1 run powered by three goals from back Simon Jeppson turned the match on its head, as Kolstad opened a healthy three-goal lead. Despite not having their injured star Sander Sagosen on the court, Kolstad delivered their best outing of the season, spurred by goalkeeper Torbjørn Bergerud. The shot-stopper saved 14 shots for a 39 per cent efficiency, helping his side to clinch their second win of the season, 29:27, and enter back into the qualification talks, boasting a four-point tally, only two shy of Szeged.

Barça (GER) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 32:26 (16:11)

The worst two losses in history in the European premium competition for SC Magdeburg, both in double digits, came against Barça, in Spain, and, at one point, it looked like the scenario was going to happen again. In a true classic between the two sides, meeting for the sixth time in the last two years in all competitions, Magdeburg had little chance, extending their woes this season. In fact, with the fourth loss in six matches, the German champions dropped to seventh place in the group, which would see them eliminated were they to finish in this position at the end of the group phase. Magdeburg’s main issue was their attack, which finished with a meagre 52 per cent efficiency, as the German side are far from the level which took them to the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in the past two seasons.

Main image: Eliza Sólya