Tickets to qualification round 3 decided in thrilling matches

QUALIFICATION ROUND 2, LEG 2:

Super Amara Bera Bera (ESP) vs Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) 32:32 (16:15)
Bera Bera win (62:60) on aggregate

The reigning Spanish champions survived an early scare, as Benfica took a two-goal lead (4:2) in the fifth minute to equalize the tie's result, but Bera Bera were quick enough to deny the Portuguese club's attempts to mount a full comeback. The opening half was marked by the scoreline swinging back and forth, with both squads holding an advantage of their own, although the hosts took a minimal one-goal lead (16:15) at half-time. The second half started in the same manner as the opening one, as Bera Bera brushed off Benfica's comeback efforts once again and Carmen Arroyo Pimienta scored in the 45th minute, with the Basque-based club taking the biggest lead (26:23) of the match. The inspired visitors fought hard to earn a draw in the end, but Bera Bera celebrated their progress to the qualification round 3 with their playmaker, Elba Álvarez Torrado, finishing as the match's top scorer with seven goals.

Vác (HUN) vs Cabooter Fortes Venlo (NED) 32:24 (15:13)
Vác win (69:46) on aggregate

With Venlo trailing by 15 goals in the tie, the only path to redemption for the Dutch club was to start the return leg on the front foot and the René Baude-led squad took a five-goal lead (11:6) in the 15th minute. However, Vác's quality came on display immediately afterward, as the hosts restricted their opponents to only a couple of goals scored until the break and the Hungarian club mounted a full comeback in the match. Venlo couldn't cope with Vác's intensity in the second half as Sára Afentaler and her teammates turned on the heat, with the right back scoring seven of her nine goals after half-time and they took a double-digit lead (30:20) in the 55th minute. Finally, the all-Hungarian squad secured another comfortable win in the tie and will take on Thüringer HC for a place in the EHF European League's group stage.

Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT) vs JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball (FRA) 16:28 (10:14)
Dijon win (70:42) on aggregate

The former four-time EHF Champions League winners have been eliminated in each of the previous four seasons in the EHF European League's qualification round 2 and Hypo's disappointing run is set to continue, as Dijon secured a second convincing win in Austria. The French club took control of the return leg's result inside the opening 10 minutes of the first half and never looked back, with Dijon's advantage on the way up throughout the match. Additionally, Manuella Dos Reis denied Hypo's every attempt to even think about making a comeback, as the excellent goalkeeper made 18 saves and recorded a sky-high 52.94 per cent save efficiency, which demonstrated the visitors' quality on both sides of the court. Celine Sivertsen scored eight goals and was the match's top scorer, as Dijon moved a step closer to reaching the group phase in the EHF's second-tier club competition.

SU ZRK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) vs HSG Blomberg-Lippe (GER) 28:26 (15:13)
Blomberg-Lippe win (65:52) on aggregate

The Belgrade-based club was determined to make life hard for Blomberg-Lippe and to end the European journey on a high in front of the home supporters. Unlike the first leg, Crvena Zvezda did not trail once in the return leg and the Red and Whites were even up by six goals (11:5) in the 17th minute, which turned on the alarm within the visiting squad. However, the Bundesliga club did not let the motivated hosts rush into a bigger lead in the second half and Blomberg-Lippe slowed down the tempo as well and narrowed down the difference, with Melanie Veith making 11 saves in the process. Aleksandra Stamenic displayed a perfect performance as the left wing scored seven goals from seven attempts and Crvena Zvezda's squad leaves the EHF's second-tier club competition with a win, while Blomberg-Lippe will meet TUSSIES Metzingen in the German derby for a place in the group stage. 

Armada Praxis Yalikavaspor (TUR) vs KPR Gminy Kobierzyce (POL) 26:27 (16:12)
Kobierzyce win (63:53) on aggregate

The reigning Turkish champions started the match on the front foot and Yalikavaspor were determined to narrow down Kobierzyce's nine-goal lead from the first leg. Furthermore, the encouraged hosts took a six-goal lead (10:4) in the 14th minute, which increased their hopes of mounting a comeback in the tie. However, the Polish club's performance improved after the break, both defensively and offensively, as Marcelina Polanska and her teammates crushed Yalikavaspor's dreams, when they took a lead (23:22) of their own in the 47th minute. The Özcan Kivanc-led squad failed to regain their lead until the final whistle, as Kobierzyce celebrated a second win in the tie, with the goalkeepers from both clubs Anca Mihaela Rombescu and Patrycja Chojnacka, respectively, making 10 saves each.

HC Gjorche Petrov-WHC Skopje (MKD) vs H 65 Höörs HK (SWE) 26:19 (13:12)
Höörs win (48:47) on aggregate

The Skopje-based club's intentions to mount a comeback became clear in the opening half as Gjorche Petrov's players bravely fought for every ball and displayed an inspired performance to take a minimal one-goal lead (13:12) at the break. However, the ambitious hosts additionally upped the tempo in the second half and Sime Simovski's squad came within a touching distance of Höörs' advantage in the final ten minutes of the match, with only three goals separating (22:17) the sides in the tie. With 60 seconds to go on the clock, Gjorche Petrov even took a six-goal lead (24:18), but unfortunately for them, they ran out of time and finished the match just one goal short of Höörs in the tie. The experienced right back Ivana Dežic ended the return leg as the top scorer with 10 goals in the net, but Höörs' goalkeeper Josefine Hultberg Dahlgren made an incredible 19 saves and played a pivotal role in helping her teammates secure a ticket to qualification round 3.

HC DAC Dunajská Streda (SVK) vs SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU) 26:33 (14:15)
Valcea win (61:52) on aggregate

The Romanian club held a two-goal advantage going into the return leg, but Dunajská Streda wasted no time in exceeding Valcea's lead, as the motivated hosts took a five-goal (9:4) advantage of their own in the 14th minute. With that being said, Bent Dahl's squad looked like they were losing control of the match, but Valcea improved massively ahead of the break to fully return in the tie and to take a narrow lead at half-time. In the second half, Dunajská Streda tried to regain the lead in the tie once again, but Nathalie Hagman and her team denied their attempts and celebrated a win, as well as their progress to qualification round 3. Experienced Hagman ended the match as the top scorer with 10 goals to her name, while Emma Boada Coronado (seven) and Eliška Desortová (eight) combined for 15 goals in the hosts' squad.

Photos © Vladimir Marković (main), Julia Haunschmid/Hypo Niederösterreich (in-text)