SUMMARY: Draw in MOTW; Barça and Veszprém stay top of group

• round 8 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase
• WEDNESDAY:
  PSG and Kolstad settle for 28:28 draw in MOTW; Aalborg have late 6:0 run for 27:27 draw with Kiel; Szeged take last-minute 28:27 win at Pelister
• THURSDAY:
  Kielce, Montpellier and Barça face challenges but defeat Zagreb 28:24, Porto 29:25, and Plock 32:25, respectively. Veszprém win big against Celje, 41:31 as Magdeburg do vs GOG, 32:25
• enjoy highlights of each match on the Home of Handball YouTube channel and see the group standings on eurohandball.com
• Courtney Gahan reporting on Thursday night. All photos courtesy of the home teams

Thursday 23 November

23:08

What a round it's been! We even have our first knockout team: Barça. The Spanish side's win took them to 14 points, where they have a decisive lead over the bottom-ranked teams in the group plus own the head-to-head.

With that, we come to the end of our live blog coverage of round 8 of the EHF Champions League Men 2023/24. Below, recap all the action over the past two nights with the day reviews.

See you next week! 

23:05

Nine goals for Lucas Pellas tonight, and the one below is a must-see. Check out this incredible goal from the Montpellier wing! 

22:09 RESULT | BARÇA VS PLOCK 32:25

Barça power to the full-time whistle and celebrate the 80th anniversary of the handball side with a victory, which takes them to 14 points where they sit along Veszprém on top of the group B table. 

22:06 RESULT | FC PORTO VS MONTPELLIER 25:29

A fine game from Montpellier, who take their first win from Porto in history after a memorable battle against the Portuguese side. 

21:55 SECOND HALF | FC PORTO VS MONTPELLIER 19:23

10 minutes to go and Montpellier have hid a more decisive lead now, clearly outscoring Porto through the middle part of the half. It looks as though we are on track for the first ever non-drawn game between these two teams in Porto.

Montpellier wing Lucas Pellas has reached eight goals, with three of those on penalties. 

In Spain, Barça are still holding off Plock, 25:22, but the Polish team have come within two goals more than once and could still have a chance. 

21:46 SECOND HALF | BARÇA VS PLOCK 22:18

The first two goals of the half put Plock within one of Barça, and the Polish side managed to stay close for some minutes before some unanswered goals from Barça took the home side to a four-goal lead. Plock need to reign in the Barça goal machine here if they are to prevent the Spanish side from romping away to a clearer advantage. 

In Porto, as the clock hits 43 minutes, Montpellier have reclaimed the lead at 19:17. 

21:36 SECOND HALF | FC PORTO VS MONTPELLIER 15:14

Return to action on both courts, with Porto the first on the board and now holding a one-goal edge. The historical record between the sides is interesting given the tight battle: the two previous matches played in Porto ended in draws. 

Aside from that, Porto have only beaten Montpellier once, while MHB have two wins in their record against the Portuguese side. 

21:23 HALF-TIME | FC PORTO VS MONTPELLIER 13:13

All square at the break in Porto, where the home side are doing a great job trying to avoid a similar result to last week, when Montpellier won by 11 goals. Montpellier's Lucas Pellas leads the scoring chart with five goals. 

21:20 HALF-TIME | BARÇA VS PLOCK 16:13

Barça keep a three-goal distance at the break — the same score line at the end of last week's match versus Plock. Line player Luis Frade finishes the first 30 minutes with an impressive six goals from six shots, as well as playing an important role in defence. 

A win tonight would be perfect for Barça, as they are celebrating the handball side's 80th anniversary. 

21:14 FIRST HALF | FC PORTO VS MONTPELLIER 12:13

It's been a tight contest through the first half at Porto, with the home side holding a one- to two-goal edge up to the 24th minute, when Lucas Pellas equalised at 11:11 for the first time since the 11th minute. In fact it was Pellas who struck two more times to keep it level and then pull Montpellier in front as the half-time buzzer nears. 

Over in Barcelona, Plock are giving the Spanish powerhouse a great fight, but Barça hold steady in front 14:11. 

Below, check out a fun goal from Montpellier back Bryan Monte. 

20:56 FIRST HALF | BARÇA VS PLOCK 6:3

Just over 10 minutes played and Barça have created a solid early lead against their Polish visitors. Back Dika Mem and line player Luis Frade have a strong influence so far, with two goals apiece. 

In Porto, it's a scoring frenzy, with the score level at 6:6 as the Portugese club take on Montpellier. 

20:43

With the final whistle on Kielce vs Zagreb, round 8 for group A came to an end, as the Polish side shook up the rankings a bit as they passed three teams thanks to their victory.

Now it's all about group B, where Barça aim to follow Vespzrém to 14 points and stay on top the table. Their opponents Plock hope for an upset that will see them add to their two points. 

In the other encounter starting in a matter of minutes, Montpellier and Porto are each other's closest rivals, with both on six points and Montpellier just ahead on the table, in fifth position, thanks only to goal difference. 

20:31

Two games remain tonight to wrap up round 8, both throwing off in precisely 14 minutes:

• Porto vs Montpellier
• Barça vs Plock

Watch both games on EHFTV and click the links above to follow along on the live ticker. 

20:20 RESULT | KIELCE VS ZAGREB 28:24

An impressive finish from Kielce, as they turn a one-goal score line five minutes from the end into a four-goal victory. With that, Kielce make a big jump up the group A table, going from sixth to third as they now count 10 points in their account. 

20:16 RESULT | VESZPRÉM VS CELJE 41:31

Another powerful win for Veszprém, who finish with a 10-goal advantage over their visitors with every field player contributing to the score. The win moves Veszprém up to 14 points on the table, while Celje are left waiting for their first taste of victory this season. 

20:14 RESULT | GOG VS MAGDEBURG 25:32

Magdeburg match last week's win against GOG on their own court with a clear away victory in Denmark, taking their points tally on the group B table to 12. 

20:11 SECOND HALF | KIELCE VS ZAGREB 24:22

An important save from Kielce goalkeeper Andreas Wolff as the Polish team keep their two-goal lead and the clock ticks into the final four minutes. Plenty of time for Zagreb to come back still, but also a great position for Kielce to take the win now. 

20:01 SECOND HALF | KIELCE VS ZAGREB 21:19

Into the final 10 minutes, have Kielce opened the crucial gap? The Polish side have hit a two-goal lead four times in the last five minutes, although Zagreb keep closing the distance to one so any slipup from Kielce will be critical. 

Meanwhile Veszprém and Magdeburg charge on, with the Hungarian team leading Celje 36:26 and Magdeburg leading GOG 30:21. 

19:52 SECOND HALF | VESZPRÉM VS CELJE 29:22

About 12 minutes played in the second half and Veszprém's lead over Celje remains clear, although Celje are matching Veszprém's shooting efficiency this half, with both on 70 per cent. The attacking percentages are also fairly well matched — in fact Celje are outperforming the home side this half, turning their attacking efficiency from 31 per cent in the first period to 44 per cent this half. Veszprém have gone from 45 per cent efficiency to 37 per cent. 

Still, the Hungarian team look clearly on target for the victory, and Celje's stats seem to reflect a possibility to keep the score line where it is rather than decrease the deficit. 

In Denmark, GOG are having an even tougher encounter than Celje, with a 10-goal score line against them now — 27:17 for Magdeburg. In Kielce, it remains anyone's game, as the Polish team have only a one-goal edge at 17:16. 

19:36 SECOND HALVES BEGIN

Back to action at Veszprém, GOG and Kielce, where we are seeing some real deja vu, as the two winners from last round against the same opponents — Magdeburg and Veszprém — both carry big leads as the matches resume. 

After they played a draw last week, Kielce and Zagreb went to the break level once more. 

After a huge start from Zagreb keeper Matej Mandic, his save rate slowed and Kielce's Andreas Wolff has responded to the challenge with six saves of his own in the first 30 minutes, including one penalty — one of the German keeper's signature strengths. 

19:25 HALF-TIME | GOG VS MAGDEBURG 13:17

A clear lead for Magdeburg at the break, but not as clear as it was, with GOG grabbing some momentum as the first half progressed. The opening minutes of the second period will be critical in GOG keeping their chance of a complete comeback alive. 

19:23 HALF-TIME | VESZPRÉM VS CELJE 22:15

Veszprém look well and truly on track for a second win against Celje, and their seventh of the season overall. If the Hungarian team hold on and take the points, it will be their fifth consecutive victory in the top-flight competition. 

19:22 HALF-TIME | KIELCE VS ZAGREB 12:12

Two goals in a row to end the half, with Nicolas Tournat having the last say, see Kielce pull the game against Zagreb level in time for the break. 

19:14 FIRST HALF | GOG VS MAGDEBURG 9:13

Closing in on the last five minutes of the first half, GOG have been steadily narrowing the gap against Magdeburg, and now trail by four after previously allowing five unanswered goals and falling behind by six.

Just like in Kielce, it is the visiting goalkeeper giving the home team the biggest headache, as Nikola Portner has had a stellar half with nine saves at a rate of 47 per cent. In attack, Magdeburg back Felix Claar, who played three seasons in Denmark with Aalborg, is having a strong outing, with four goals and just one shot missed. 

In the other matches, Zagreb are holding off Kielce, but the task is becoming more difficult. The Croatian team now load 11:9. Veszprém are also still in charge, 19:14, versus Celje. 

18:59 FIRST HALF | KIELCE VS ZAGREB 2:6

Nearing 12 minutes played, Zagreb are holding the edge over Kielce quite comfortably, thanks pretty much altogether to an absolutely massive show from goalkeeper Matej Mandic. After he made 17 saves at a rate of 47 per cent in the reverse fixture, Mandic is at it again tonight, with eight saves off 10 shots faced — an astonishing rate of 80 per cent. 

Meanwhile in Denmark, Magdeburg have streaked ahead to a 9:4 lead against GOG while Veszprém have a 13:8 advantage over Celje. 

18:49 | THURSDAY MATCHES BEGIN

We are underway with Thursday's action, with two level scores so far — 2:2 in GOG vs Magdeburg and 3:3 in Veszprém vs Celje — and Zagreb having surprised Kielce a little with a three-goal run that makes it 3:1 for the Croatian side early in their encounter. 

18:37

Throw-off is just minutes away now, with three matches about to begin at 18:45 CET: 

• Kielce vs Zagreb
• Veszprém vs Celje
• GOG vs Magdeburg

Watch all the games on EHFTV.com and click the link to each game to follow the live statistics!

18:23

SC Magdeburg's win against GOG was their fifth straight one in the top-flight competition, and while it was decisive in the end (35:27), the game was neck-and-neck into the last 10 minutes. The score at the 50-minute mark was 28:26.

GOG coach Kasper Jørgensen hopes the home court will give the advantage needed to be able to stay level to the end — and potentially grab the win:

"It is of course a really strong team that awaits us, but we saw last week that we can play with them, and we hope that the home ground can provide the extra percentages that it takes to hang on for the entire match."

GOG took the win when the teams met in Denmark last season. The teams are in third and fourth position in the group, with Magdeburg on 10 points and GOG on eight. 

18:10

Back-to-back finalists in the EHF Champions League Men, Kielce, enter round 8 in a surprising position: on the outskirts of the knockout round positions, as they sit sixth in group A. It is an extremely tight group, however, with leaders THW Kiel only three points ahead of Kielce. Kolstad, PSG and Szeged all have just one point more than Kielce (nine) and Aalborg are the closest hunters to Kiel with 10 points. 

Nevertheless, Kielce will obviously want to climb out of the perilous position they are in. 

Their opponents in the clash, throwing off at 18:45 CET, Zagreb, are right outside the top six on the table. The Croatian team count six points in their account. Despite their group ranking, Zagreb have conceded the least goals of all teams in the current season, highlighting a very strong defensive foundation. 

The reverse match last week saw a 22:22 draw, which was the first time Zagreb took a point against Kielce in what was their third meeting. Can Zagreb take the win outright tonight? 

Check out the group standings here. 

17:56

It's a tussle at the top of group B ahead of tonight's games, with Barça and Veszprém both taking the court with 12 points after six wins and one loss so far in the season. Barça's one defeat was to Veszprém — their first loss in Palau Blaugrana since November 2021 — while Veszprém lost to GOG in Denmark. 

Both group leaders won against the same opponents they will face tonight last week, although Barça had a more difficult time against Plock (28:25) than Veszprém did against Celje (40:33). Still, with the prospect of the home court for both, there's a solid possibility for the table to remain level after round 8. 

On the other hand, both Plock and Celje are desperate for points, with Plock having taken one victory in the season — against Celje — while the Slovenian side still wait for their first points. The two sides have some way to go to catch the six frontrunners, and an upset on a big court would certainly help. 

17:00

There's plenty of time before throw-off, so fill it by catching up on this week's episode of 'The Spin', featuring Veszprém's Ludovic Fabregas. Veszprém are having a wonderful season and Fabregas was particularly important in their win over his former club Barça a couple of weeks ago. 

16:45

Barça have extra motivation to win today's game against Plock - November 23 marks the 80th anniversary of the foundation of their handball section! 

16:15

Welcome back to coverage of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, where round 8 action continues from 18:45 CET with three games - Kielce vs Zagreb; Veszprém vs Celje; and GOG vs Magdeburg. We're mostly in group B tonight - Kielce vs Zagreb is the only group A game left of the round and the two sides are both in the danger zone for missing the play-offs, with Kielce sitting sixth on eight points and Zagreb seventh with six. Victory for the visitors would shake things up even more in this tight, tight group.

In group B, it's a bit clearer - Plock and Celje are some way behind the rest of the teams, and a win for either tonight seems unlikely as they play groups leaders Barça and Veszprém respectively, who both won handily last week.

In round 8, Magdeburg made their 35:27 win over GOG look fairly easy - but can the defending champions repeat that in Denmark this week?

Wednesday 22 November

23:30

Here ends our coverage of the fascinating first night of round 8. Make sure to visit the live blog again for the second night on Thursday, when we have five more attractive pairings on our schedule:

• at 18:45 CET: Kielce vs Zagreb; Veszprém vs Celje; GOG vs Magdeburg
• at 20:45 CET: Porto vs Montpellier; Barça vs Plock

EHF journalist Courtney Gahan will be guiding you through all what is happening on Thursday. For now, it is good night and enjoy the best pictures of round 8 so far in our gallery:

23:26

PSG 28, Kolstad 28. Let's hear from both teams right after this MOTW:

23:10

You can watch the highlights from all three matches tonight on our YouTube Home of Handball channel, including that scintillating MOTW between PSG and Kolstad.

23:07

What an opening night of round 8! Two draws and a one-goal win which looked like a draw until a few seconds from the buzzer. Here is the day review from EHF journalist Kevin Domas:

22:56

Honouring the Player of the Match, Andreas Palicka:

22:44

Alongside goalkeeper Andreas Palicka, Elohim Prandi has been a driving force behind PSG's resurrection in the second half against Kolstad. Prandi finished, like Sander Sagosen, on 10 goals, but it has not been enough for a French win. And the draw certainly limits PSG's prospects of finishing in the top two of group A and skipping the play-offs. Advantage Kolstad in that respect!

22:36

Here is that big save from PSG goalie Andreas Palicka to deny Kolstad captain Sigvaldi Gudjonsson. Guess who has just picked up the Player of the Match trophy? Not just for this save of course, but Palicka has been instrumental in PSG's comeback in the second half of this MOTW. 

22:27 RESULT | MOTW PSG vs Kolstad 28:28 (13:15)

A draw it is! A last second-chance for Elohim Prandi strands in the wall of Kolstad defenders as this MOTW gets the result it deserves. Key players? Andreas Palicka for PSG and Sander Sagosen for Kolstad.

22:24

A last team timeout for Kolstad. What is in it for them, at 28:27 down in the last minute?

22:22

Andreas Palicka! What a penalty killer he is. The PSG goalkeeper denies Sigvaldi Gudjonsson once again in what could prove to be a pivotal save.

22:20

27:27 and, well, make that 10 goals (!) for Sander Sagosen upon his return to Paris tonight.

22:07

If you are looking for a roller-coaster Match of the Week, this is it! PSG now look firmly in control and even go three ahead themselves: 23:20, then 24:21. Kolstad far from down and out, though.

Yes, it is crunch time in Paris!

21:54

Kolstad go three up (18:15) before PSG, just like in the beginning of the first half, hit back with a 3:0 run, including two more Elohim Prandi goals, for 18:18.

21:47

Quick lookback at the earlier top clash in group A, when Aalborg had a late 6:0 run against Kiel to turn 21:27 into 27:27. This is what the Danish head coach Stefan Madsen said:

21:30 HALF-TIME | MOTW PSG vs Kolstad 13:15

A possible crucial last-second penalty from Ferran Sole reduces the deficit for PSG at the break to just two goals, after Kolstad have threatened to make a runaway game of the MOTW and go up by four.

All to play for in the second half and after the defeat last week, PSG have got another conformation they will need to dig deep to beat this Kolstad team, led by their former playmaker Sander Sagosen.

21:23

Kolstad take full advantage as PSG are reduced due to three suspensions at the same time, and the Norwegian side open a four-goal gap, 15:11, with Sander Sagosen netting five times already on the Paris court he knows so well...

21:14

The goalkeepers are starring in the first half! While the score remains pretty much in the balance, Jannick Green and Torbjørn Bergerud with some stunning saves:

21:02

Entertaining start to this MOTW in Paris. Kolstad go quickly up by two (4:2), but lead by Luc Steins, PSG turn the tide for a 7:5 lead.

Good stuff!

20:40

What a start to round 8! And then we have the MOTW still coming up...

Tune in to EHFTV now to see PSG vs Kolstad all live. Remember, geo-restrictions may prevent the stream from running in certain regions due to broadcast rights.

20:34

Wow, just checked the play-by-play overview for Aalborg against Kiel again: Eduardo Gurbindo made it 27:21 for Kiel's last goal, with eight minutes and 27 seconds still on the clock... A 6:0 run for Aalborg did the rest. Simply incredible!

20:32

And in Bitola, this has been the decisive moment for Szeged, stealing a point from Pelister in a match that easily could have ended in a draw also:

20:29

Watch the moment of Aalborg vs Kiel that will be the talk of the town in Denmark tonight:

20:21 RESULT | Pelister vs Szeged 27:28 (12:15)

Pfff, big signs of relief for Szeged as the final buzzer sounds in Bitola. Just like Aalborg in the other match, Pelister stage a strong comeback, get level at 27:27 in the last minute, but Zoltan Szita gives Szeged both points with his winning goal a few seconds before the end.

Well done Szeged, but you got to feel for Pelister, so close to their first point...

20:17 RESULT | Aalborg vs Kiel 27:27 (13:17)

So yes, there IS more drama! With half a minute left, Mikkel Hansen throws arguably the worst penalty of his career as the ball goes high, high over the cross bar. And then Domagoj Duvnjak misses the last chance for Kiel on the other side of the court.

In the end, a highly entertaining draw, which will make Aalborg the happier team, despite that mishap in the last minute...

20:13

How much more drama do you want?! Aalborg and Kiel are now at 27:27, Niclas Ekberg misses a penalty as his shot bounces back from the cross bar, and we have one minute left...

20:10

And then, a 5:0 run for Aalborg and all of a sudden, the gap is just one! The hosts are back within on goal from Kiel, having been down by four goals for most of the second half: 27:26! This is now anybody's game.

20:03

Sometimes in handball, just small margins decide. Goal or no goal?

19:58

Meanwhile in Bitola, Pelister have clawed their way back into the game and drawn level with Szeged: 19:19! What a finish to that match coming up; can the hosts finally get their first point(s) after seven straight defeats? 

19:54

Team timeout Kiel. So far, so good, for the group A leaders. Even without their head coach Filip Jicha, who didn't travel to Denmark due to illness, Kiel are in control: 23:19 and 12 minutes left to play.

19:46

We are 10 minutes into the second half and Kiel now six goals up in Aalborg, 22:16, with six goals from Austria's Nikola Bilyk. Can the Danish hosts hit back in the last 20 minutes?

19:26 HALF-TIME | Pelister vs Szeged 12:15

You cannot say Pelister were not giving it their all, but Szeged are just the stronger team with the better player on most positions. Hard to see this match turn upside-down in the second half – but I am aware we have said that before at half-time of other matches this season...

19:21 HALF-TIME | Aalborg vs Kiel 13:17

So much difference a week makes... Kiel grab the initiative from 9:9 as an unanswered run of five goals puts them firmly in the driving seat. Remember, last week Kiel were down 11:6 after the opening half.

19:19

Fitting example of Kiel's determination we mentioned in the previous post:

19:15

Kiel are certainly up for this one. That defeat last week must have been a wake-up call, as they seem more than determined to avoid a second straight defeat against Aalborg. Up 15:10 now, Eric Johansson woth four their best scorer.

19:04

Meanwhile, Szeged have opened a three-goal lead over Pelister after the first quarter: 9:6. And what a start to the game for Luka Stepancic, with a terrific five from five!

18:59

13 minutes gone, and Aalborg and Kiel still completely in the balance, at 5:5. That gives us the opportunity to quickly look at those stunning beanbags in the Aalborg arena. Would you pick Mikkel Hansen to sit on? Or Mads Hoxer? Or Jesper Nielsen? Or...? 

18:40

Let's go! We start round 8 in five minutes with Pelister vs Szeged and Aalborg vs Kiel. Your place to go to watch the matches live is EHFTV (but geo-restrictions might apply).

18:18

Since we are getting three group A matches tonight, let's take a look at the standings.

Kiel are still on top but would be overtaken by Aalborg in case the Danish side win their direct encounter again, like last week. And apart from prestige, the better position in the race for a top-two spot is at stake in the MOTW between PSG and Kolstad.

Further down the standings, Pelister must start collect some points if they want to keep their play-off dreams alive, while Szeged would be able to make another step forward in the table if they take the points in Bitola tonight.

18:04

Here is a closer look at the MOTW between PSG and Kolstad tonight at 20:45 CET. You will find this and much more stats and info in this MOTW media pack (PDF).

17:21

And to top it all off, we will conclude the opening night of round 8 with the Match of the Week in France: Paris Saint-Germain HB are ready to give Kolstad Handball a warm welcome – especially after that 36:31 defeat in Norway last week.

That result marked the second straight defeat for PSG, a rather unusual feat, as the French champions had not lost back-to-back matches in Europe's topflight for more than two years. Time to bounce back, and that is exactly what PSG want to do, David Balaguer tells EHF journalist Kevin Domas in this feature:

17:07

Also starting at 18:45 CET is the highly anticipated duel between Aalborg and Kiel, the Nos. 2 and 1 from group A, even more so since Aalborg celebrated a stunning 27:18 victory when the teams met in Germany just a week ago.

In that match, former Kiel goalkeeper Niklas Landin was the big man for Aalborg, producing no less than 19 saves in the arena he used to call his home for so many seasons. No wonder the group A leaders are fully motivated to set things straight in Denmark tonight. And to help them out, they are bringing their famous "Weiße Wand" (White Wall) of supporters with them. Game on! 

16:58

The schedule this week includes five matches on Thursday, so we will start round 8 with three games on Wednesday – and they are all three in group A.

Among the matches throwing off at 18:45 CET is Pelister hosting Szeged, as the Macedonian team hope to finally put their first point(s) on the board. Last week, Szeged won the reverse fixture in Hungary 34:26 and they are eager to continue their strong series with just one defeat (away at Kolstad) from their last five matches.

16:51

No better way to get yourself up-to-date than the round preview from EHF journalists Björn Pazen and Kevin Domas:

16:45

Two hours until throw-off... welcome to the live blog for round 8 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase.

We start with the second half of the group phase as round 8 includes again eight matches to look forward to. Here is the full schedule: