DAY REVIEW: Plock and Zagreb near play-offs with key wins

• Zagreb displayed an impressive defensive performance in the Match of the Week at Trondheim, securing a clear victory over Kolstad for the second time.
• Young Serb Milos Kos was named Player of the Match.
• Aalborg mounted a comeback in the final 20 minutes against a formidable Szeged side, clinching their spot in the knockout stages.
• Magdeburg notched their tenth consecutive win with a 37:27 victory over Celje. While the scoreline appears decisive, the hosts demonstrated a strong fighting spirit.
• A rock-solid defence and a formidable goalkeeper were Plock’s keys to the deserved win against Montpellier.

GROUP A

Aalborg Handbold (DEN) vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) 31:26 (14:16)

Aalborg remain the top contenders behind leading side THW Kiel, while  Szeged missed their chance for a ticket to the knockout stage despite being the superior team for over 40 minutes. After the score was tied at 7:7, the visitors surged ahead to their only five-goal lead at 15:10, thanks to an 8:3 run. The hosts squandered too many opportunities during this period, while Szeged remained clinical in attack. It took some time for Aalborg to regain their rhythm and precision in attack, but they finally levelled the score at 20:20 in the 43rd minute. The match was fiercely contested, evolving into a true battle and a personal duel between two Slovenian strikers on both sides: Aleks Vlah (five goals) proved pivotal for Aalborg in the final stages, while Mario Sostaric was the top scorer of the first half with six goals and finished on seven. Ultimately, a double strike from Sebastian Barthold and Thomas Arnoldsen sealed the victory for the hosts, who are now level on points with top side THW Kiel and have secured their spot in the knockout stage.

MOTW: Kolstad Handball (NOR) vs HC Zagreb (CRO) 25:34 (10:18)

They had beaten Paris, Kiel, and Szeged at home before, but currently, Kolstad seems to be out of rhythm. It was the fourth defeat in a row for Sander Sagosen & Co. – and it could have been a crucial one in the race for the last play-off spot in this group: Like in the reverse fixture, when Zagreb took their clearest Champions League win since 2012 (31:20), the defence of the Croatian record champions was outstanding, as their goalkeeper Matej Mandic was. Even without their key players Luka Lovre Klarica and Zvonimir Srna, Zagreb were fully dominant from the start until the end, first backed by the five goals each of Cuban Cuni Morales and Serb Milos Kos, who was awarded Player of the Match. Kolstad had high hopes for the MOTW but were brought down to earth when they trailed 8:18 right before the break. Even when their goalkeepers improved, the hosts had no chance against the perfectly adapted Zagreb side, which now leads by three points with only two rounds left. For Kolstad, it was the second biggest defeat in their short Champions League history after the 18:29 loss against Aalborg, and again on home ground.

GROUP B

RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 27:37 (12:18)

As in many previous group phase duels, Celje were quite worthy opponent for another top team, but once again, Mitja Janc and his teammates left the court empty-handed. Individually and physically, SC Magdeburg were too strong for the Slovenian talent pool, extending their winning streak to ten wins in a row and preparing for a clash of the giants with Barça next week. Fuelled by the counter-attack goals of left wing Lukas Mertens, the visitors widened the gap to six goals at half-time. Celje showed great resolve, narrowing the gap to 22:23, but ultimately, it was the eight goals in total from Icelander Omar Ingi Magnusson that broke their resistance. He was on par with Mertens and Celje’s Tim Kocan as the top scorer of the match.

Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs Montpellier HB (FRA) 22:18 (10:10)

The third win in the last four matches puts Orlen Wisla Plock in a comfortable position in the race for the play-offs: They are two points ahead of FC Porto, their only rival for the sixth position. They now have the advantage of playing their last group match at home against the Portuguese champions. One week after securing their ticket to the play-offs by defeating Celje, Montpellier HB encountered significant problems in attack. Plock’s defence stood firm, and goalkeeper Marcel Jastrzebski performed admirably with a 50% save rate. After saving nine shots in the first half to maintain the levelled score of 10:10, he played a crucial role in establishing a three-goal lead at 17:14 in the 46th minute. Finally, when the Croatian duo Tin Lucin and Lovro Mihic struck to make it 22:18, the victory was confirmed – and Plock even secured the aggregate win after losing the reverse fixture 28:30.

Photos: Ida/Titt Melhuus (Kolstad), Henrik Hansen (Aalborg), Slavko Kolar (Celje), Jerzy Stankowski Spojrzenia (Plock)