Eurofarm Pelister overthrow Szeged; wins for PSG, Veszprém and SCM

• a penalty goal from Bogdan Radivojevic decided the MOTW in Bitola, as the hosts took their second win of the season, beating Szeged narrowly, 25:24
• Bjarki Mar Elisson and Ivan Martinovic combined for 15 goals in Veszprém’s 43:29 goal fest in Norway
• PSG were shaken in Denmark, but ultimately kept the upper hand until the end to take revenge against GOG, 31:28
• the victory over Zagreb represented Magdeburg’s 14th unbeaten EHF Champions League match in a row, dating to February 2025 — overall 13 victories and one draw
• Zagreb remain the lowest goal scorers, netting only 183 in seven matches

GROUP A

Kolstad Håndball (NOR) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN) 29:43 (15:19)

H2H: 0-0-1
Top scorers: Simon Jeppsson 5/5 (Kolstad Håndball), Bjarki Mar Elisson 8/8 (One Veszprém HC)

After two close defeats against Sporting and Berlin, Veszprém got back on track with a dominant win. Kolstad, who remain on two points, were behind for the whole match and only managed to keep pace for the first 20 minutes. Mainly after the break, the Hungarian side’s attack was on fire, scoring from all positions and easily extending the gap. In minute 50, when goalkeeper Mikael Appelgren netted for 34:24, the margin was double figured for the first time. But still Veszprém’s hunger for goals was not stilled, while the Norwegian team's defence partly did not exist. Besides top scorer Bjarki Mar Elisson, new arrival Ivan Martinovic was key for Veszprém’s attack, netting seven times.

GROUP B

MOTW: HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) 25:24 (11:8)

H2H: 1-0-2
Top scorers: Zharko Peshevski 7/7 (HC Eurofarm Pelister), Imanol Garciandia 6/6 (OTP Bank - PICK Szeged)
Player of the Match: Zharko Peshevski

In terms of thrill and drama, there could not have been a better choice for the MOTW than the game in Bitola. The frenetic fans pushed their team the whole way, as both teams fought for every ball and every centimetre in the fully packed arena. It came down to the last action to decide the pure thriller: Seven seconds before the end, Bogdan Radivojevic netted a penalty for 25:24. One second before the end, Nikola Mitrevski saved the last attack from Szeged and the arena started to celebrate — however, the match was not over yet. Szeged received a direct free throw, but the shot from Imanol Garciandia was blocked by Eurofarm Pelister’s blocking wall.

For the first time ever, the Bitola-based side beat the runners-up of the Hungarian league 2024/25, and their second win of the season was simply a question of will. The MOTW was no deli, but a real battle of two teams focusing on defence. The hosts had a flying start and led 10:5, but Szeged levelled the score at 12:12 in minute 36 — and everything reset. The match went back and forth, and when Szeged scored a 4:1 run from 22:20 for Pelister to 24:23 for the visitors, they seemed to be on track for a win. But unstoppable line player Zharko Peshevski, who was awarded POTM after his seven goals, and goalkeeper Mitrevski became the key factors in the last minutes. With the win, Eurofarm Pelister extended the gap above Zagreb to four points and are now only two points below Szeged, PSG and GOG. 

GOG (DEN) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 28:31 (18:17)

H2H: 2-0-4
Top scorers: Frederik Bjerre 9/10 (GOG), Elohim Prandi 8/8 (Paris Saint-Germain)

Three weeks ago, GOG took the points in Paris, winning 36:34. On Wednesday night, PSG struck back in Denmark, outplaying their hosts in the second half to avoid a third straight defeat. In an equal first half, the biggest gap was two goals several times for both sides, and nothing changed until minute 40 and the score of 21:21. Then Paris grabbed their chance with a 3:0 run and kept their momentum until the end, though GOG were close to turning the match around again. But every time the hosts had the opportunity to level the score, PSG found a way to break through or profited from a mistake — like in minute 57, when Lasse Vilhelmsen caused a turnover with the score at 29:28 for PSG. The turnover was converted into a goal by Yahia Omar, who also scored the last goals to decide the outcome. After round 7, the sides are equal on six points.

SC Magdeburg (GER) vs HC Zagreb (CRO) 27:22 (10:9)

H2H: 4-0-1
Top scorers: Sebastian Barthold 6/6 (SC Magdeburg), Filip Glavaš 7/8 (HC Zagreb)

In the last mutual clash one year ago, Matej Mandic was a crucial factor in Zagreb’s 22:18 win against eventual EHF Champions League winners SC Magdeburg. Over the summer, Mandic changed sides and, facing his former club for the first time, the Croatian again stood strong. His new team took their seventh victory in the same number of group matches and consolidated their top position in group B. But despite a constant lead throughout the match, it was not an easy game against the bottom-ranked side for the defending champions. Zagreb adapted their defence quite well and managed to reduce the gap from 5:9 to only one goal at the break. A 7:2 run right at the start of the second half was the key for SCM. Even a direct red card against defence specialist Oscar Bergendahl could not stop coach Bennet Wiegert’s team. When Gisli Kristjansson netted for 25:17 in minute 53, Magdeburg’s seventh win was secured.