Intense battles in last chance for quarter-final berths

PLAY-OFFS, SECOND LEG

Limoges Handball (FRA) vs HC Kriens-Luzern (SUI)
Tuesday 1 April, 18:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

• in the first leg, Kriens-Luzern took a confident win at home, 36:29
• Luka Sigrist scored 11 goals for the Swiss team in the first game and is second in the scoring charts with 67 goals, below his teammate Marin Šipic (71 goals), who netted eight times last Tuesday; Limoges' Ihor Turchenko is the top scorer for the team with 61 goals
• Limoges have already hosted a Swiss team this season, losing 31:27 to Kadetten Schaffhausen in the group matches; Kriens-Luzern travelled to France for a main round encounter, also losing 31:27 at Montpellier Handball
• Kriens-Luzern lost both away matches in the main round, but by no more than four goals; now even a defeat by six goals will secure them a quarter-final spot
• the aggregate winner of this tie will face THW Kiel in the quarter-finals
• on Saturday, both sides won their domestic league games: Limoges beat Saint Raphael 33:27, while Kriens-Luzern proved too strong for Basel, 32:29

GOG (DEN) vs Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR)
Tuesday 1 April, 18:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

• in a hard-fought match last Tuesday, Benfica snatched a 33:31 victory
• Ander Izquierdo was the Portuguese team's top scorer in that game with seven goals, while goalkeeper Gustavo Capdeville contributed to the win with his 12 saves
• GOG won all five home games in the competition so far, three in the group matches and two in the main round
• the aggregate winner of this play-off will take on defending champions SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the quarter-finals
• GOG lost a Danish league match against Ribe-Esbjerg on Friday, 32:30, while Benfica were defeated by Sporting CP in the Portuguese league on Saturday, 34:30

MT Melsungen (GER) vs VfL Gummersbach (GER)
Tuesday 1 April, 20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

• the all-German tie is still very open following Gummersbach's three-goal win in the first leg, 29:26
• Gummersbach's left back Miro Schluroff scored 10 goals in that encounter, increasing his tally in the competition to 70 goals, including the qualification
• Melsungen have not a lost a home game in the current tournament, winning four matches and splitting the points with THW Kiel and Vojvodina in the main round
• the aggregate winner of this tie will meet Bidasoa Irun in the quarter-finals
• on Saturday, Melsungen defeated fellow EHF European League team THW Kiel in a Bundesliga match, 27:22, while Gummersbach proved too strong for HSG Wetzlar, winning 33:24 on Thursday
• in December 2024, Melsungen won their most recent mutual encounter in the Bundesliga, 29:24 away

FENIX Toulouse (FRA) vs FC Porto (POR)
Tuesday 1 April, 20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

• similar to fellow Portuguese side Benfica, Porto celebrated a home win in the first leg, but by a bigger margin, 35:28
• the rivals were tied 16:16 at the break, but Porto were dominant in the second half, which secured their seven-goal victory
• Toulouse won three of their five home matches in the competition, losing only to IK Sävehof in the group matches (33:30) and drawing with SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the main round (35:35)
• the aggregate winner of this tie will face Montpellier Handball in the quarter-finals
• on Friday, Toulouse defeated Cesson Rennes Métropole in a French league game, 33:27, while on Saturday Porto also won in their domestic league, 36:29 at Maritimo

Photos © Richi Brandenberger (main), Isabel Cutileiro & Be.A.Star Productions (in-text)