Three more teams confirmed for play-offs, Veszprém win MOTW

• in Group A, three teams are still fighting for the second position below leaders Veszprém – currently Sporting CP have this spot, being one point ahead of the duo Paris and Berlin; all three of them have quite tough away tasks in their last matches
• due to the defeat in Berlin, Eurofarm Pelister are out of the race for the play-offs – Dinamo and Plock will proceed to the next round, even if all three teams are equal in points in the final ranking
• 11 goals of Simon Jeppson were the key for Kolstad’s win against Magdeburg
• due to this result, three teams can finish with 11 points in Group B – in that case Kielce qualify for the play-offs ranked fifth and Magdeburg sixth while Kolstad end out due to three defeats against Kielce and Magdeburg
• two late goals in the final minute prevented Barça from a defeat in Szeged, while the draw felt like a defeat for the hosts
• goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales and 11 different scorers paved the way for Veszprém’s clear win at Paris - their 12th victory in 13 matches

GROUP A

MOTW: Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN) 33:37 (18:23)

Veszprém highlighted their ambitions to go all the way this season with another impressive performance. One week after their close victory against Sporting, they were dominant in Paris. Opening 1:0 was the one and only lead for PSG.

It was a great team performance with 11 different players finding their way into the scoring sheet, topped by six strikes of Gasper Marguc. Veszprém’s attack was unstoppable, they were scoring from all position, with a huge efficiency – mainly proved by 23 goals before the break. Paris improved, and when Kamil Syprzak netted for the 29:30 and the 31:32, they could even hope to turn the match around. A 3:0 run for the 35:31 was however the final decision in a run-and-gun match.

Füchse Berlin (GER) vs HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) 39:29 (15:12)

The final result looks quite clear, but until minute 40 the Macedonian champions were able to stay completely levelled. Berlin kept their hopes for a direct quarter-final spot alive, but will have to travel to leaders Veszprém next week, while for Eurofarm Pelister their home match against PSG will be the end of their international journey this season. Each of the nine goals scored by Mathias Gidsel and youngster Matthes Langhoff paved Berlin’s way to the victory, while Filip Kuzmanovski netted seven times for the visitors.

The Foxes were never down in the whole 60 minutes, but could not profit from their flying 12:6 start. Eurfarm Pelister reduced the gap to 20:18, but then Berlin’s 4:0 run ended the hopes of the Macedonians. Having 16 points on their account, Berlin are equal with Paris and one point below Sporting – in the end, their last week's defeat at Plock will prove to be crucial if they end up failing to finish second.

GROUP B

Kolstad Håndbold (NOR) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 31:27 (15:14)

Kolstad Håndbold remain unbeaten after the winter break, Magdeburg secure their play-off spot despite the defeat - thanks to a strong second half and 11 goals of Simon Jeppson, the Norwegian champions took a deserved and important victory to be equal in points with Magdeburg now. Due to this result, Zagreb are definitely out of the play-off race.

Having to replace many injured key players such as Gisli Kristjannson, Omar Ingi Magnusson, Oscar Bergendahl and Manuel Zehnder, the base for a success was not the best for SCM. Kolstad, on the other hand, showed their will to win from the very first minute. The first half was more or less equal with small advantages for the hosts, however when Kolstad pulled ahead for 20:16, they were on the right track. Finally, the deal was sealed, when Benedikt Gunnar Oskarsson netted for 29:24.  

OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) vs Barça (ESP) 29:29 (17:14)

The draw feels like a defeat for OTP Bank PICK Szeged, as the defending champions and already confirmed group winners Barça were ahead only twice in the whole 60 minutes - at 21:20 and 25:24. For the fourth consecutive match, the Hungarian side finished without a victory but remain on the fourth place with 13 points now. Despite six goals of the EHF Champions League top scorer Mario Sostaric (91 goals total), the hosts did not manage to take revenge for the close 30:31 defeat in the premier fixture.

The biggest margin was five goals at 14:9, after the break. Barça levelled the match with three unanswered goals at 17:17, and from that moment on the match was on the edge. A red card against their key defensive player and line player Bence Banhidi in minute 40 did not shock Szeged that much - with one minute on the clock, they were ahead 29:27, but then Manuel Ortega and the buzzer-beater scored by Thiagus Petrus secured a draw for Barça. Emil Nielsen won the goalkeeping duel against Robert Mikler (Szeged) with 13 saves to Mikler's 10.