Sporting and Veszprém remain in control to book quarter-final berths

• Sporting will play the EHF Champions League quarter-finals for the second time in a row, despite losing by one in Płock (27:28)
• the Costa brothers were in the spotlight once again for Sporting, with Francisco scoring eight and Martim just one fewer
• the Portuguese side will face Aalborg in the quarter-finals
• despite being three goals down in the first half, Veszprém relied on their experience in Paris, coming back on the scoreboard to earn a 35:35 draw
• Paris’ Kamil Syprzak was the game’s top scorer with 10 goals
• Veszprém will meet Füchse Berlin in the quarter-finals, with an TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 berth at stake

Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) 28:27 (13:11)

First-leg result: 29:33; Sporting won 60:58 on aggregate
H2H: 2‑1‑3
Top scorers: Sergei Kosorotov (Płock) 7 goals, Francisco Costa (Sporting) 8 goals

It took six minutes for the hosts to score their first goal of the evening, and by then Sporting were already three goals ahead. The Portuguese side kept their rhythm for 20 minutes, helped by a fantastic Mohamed Aly, who stopped seven shots – including two from the seven‑metre line – early on. But Gergő Fazekas turned the momentum Plock’s way. Scoring three goals in a row, he helped his team net six without reply and, by the break, Plock had almost erased their aggregate deficit. In a tense second half, neither team managed to take real control. For every goal scored by Sergei Kosorotov, Martim or Francisco Costa would answer at the other end. As a result, no side held more than a two‑goal advantage in the final 25 minutes. Only once did Wisla have the chance to extend their lead to two, four minutes before the end, but Mohamed Aly produced a crucial save. And when Francisco Costa levelled the score with less than one minute remaining, it became clear that Sporting were going through.

Paris Saint‑Germain (FRA) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN) 35:35 (20:18)

First-leg result: 24:32; Veszprém won 67:59 on aggregate
H2H: 8‑2‑10
Top scorers: Kamil Syprzak (Paris) 10 goals; Nédim Rémili (Veszprém) 7 goals

Despite leading by eight on aggregate at throw‑off, Veszprém pushed hard from the first second. With Rodrigo Corrales in excellent form, the Hungarian side opened an early four‑goal lead and extended their aggregate advantage to 12. Paris took time to respond, but with Elohim Prandi scoring five in the first half alone, they produced a 4:0 run to level the score. They went even further by increasing the pace in every action, briefly taking a three‑goal lead before the break. The second half proved more difficult for PSG, as their goalkeepers struggled to match Rodrigo Corrales’ performance. Matters worsened when Elohim Prandi suffered an injury. Using all their experience, Veszprém stayed focused and did not panic, ultimately securing a draw that was more than enough to see them through.

Photo ©: Jerzy Stankowski, Laurene Valroff / Aurélien Meunier / Eric Renard