Barça resist Paris comeback in MOTW; Magdeburg still undefeated

The Match of the Week saw Barça secure a 30:27 victory in Paris, as Emil Nielsen delivered another blinding performance with 18 saves. But the team from Barcelona remains second in the group, behind SC Magdeburg, as the German side secured their eighth consecutive win in Zagreb, 43:35.

• Magdeburg delivered their best offensive performance of the season so far against Zagreb, topping 40 goals for the first time
• after a tight first half, Veszprém stretched out against Kolstad to beat the Norwegian side for the second time this season (42:34)
• after drawing in Kielce last week, Aalborg bounced back and took the two points against the Polish side at home (34:27), despite losing Thomas Arnoldsen to an injury
• two players scored 11 goals on Wednesday night: Matthias Musche (Magdeburg) and Simon Jeppsson (Kolstad)
• after leading by nine, Barça managed to take the victory in the Match of the Week, despite Paris coming back within two in the second half
• thanks to his 18 saves at a 43 per cent efficiency rate, Barça’s Emil Nielsen was elected Player of the Match

GROUP A

Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) vs Industria Kielce (POL) 34:27 (16:10)

H2H: 4-2-6
Top scorers: Thomas Arnoldsen 6/8 (Aalborg Håndbold), Alex Dujshebaev 7/10 (Industria Kielce)

Aalborg appeared dominant in the opening minutes as Niklas Landin stopped the first four shots and the hosts’ first three attempts hit the back of the net. But Klemen Ferlin stepped up and the visitors were level after nine minutes of the match. The Polish momentum did not last long, as the visitors encountered too many offensive difficulties to keep up with their opponents. With Thomas Arnoldsen and Mads Hoxer both scoring four in the first half, Aalborg were comfortably ahead at the break, leading 16:10. In the second half, Niklas Landin remained reliable, making eight saves in total (27.6 per cent), while the likes of left wing Buster Juul-Lassen and centre back Juri Knorr made their presence felt. By the 43rd minute Aalborg had extended the gap to nine goals. Despite Thomas Arnoldsen having to leave the court due to an apparent knee injury, Aalborg remained firmly in control of the game in its dying minutes to bounce back after drawing in Kielce last week.

One Veszprém HC (HUN) vs Kolstad Håndball (NOR) 42:34 (20:18)

H2H: 2-0-0
Top scorers: Nedim Remili 7/9 (One Veszprém HC), Simon Jeppsson 11/14 (Kolstad Håndball)

The fast pace of the game adopted by both teams in the first half suited Kolstad perfectly. With Simon Jeppsson in particularly fine form, scoring nine in the first half alone, the Norwegian side played eye-to-eye with their hosts throughout the first part of the game. Despite eight Veszprém players scoring at least one goal in the first half, the Hungarian side did not manage to take a bigger advantage than three goals before the break. And while Nedim Remili scored a last-second goal to put his team ahead by two at half-time, everything remained open for the second half. There, Veszprém improved. As Rodrigo Corrales arrived between the posts and pulled off some important saves, the hosts’ advantage grew. A particularly successful patch for Remili, with five goals in seven minutes, helped Veszprém to a nine-goal lead with just over 10 minutes to play.  Opening their bench for the last 10 minutes, Veszprém increased that gap even more, with Ahmed Adel and Ahmed Hesham delivering convincing performances.

GROUP B

HC Zagreb (CRO) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 35:43 (14:22)

H2H: 1-0-5
Top scorers: Ihar Bialauski 8/11 (HC Zagreb), Matthias Musche 11/12 (SC Magdeburg)

The first half of the round 7 game between the two sides was one of the lowest scoring so far, and the first half of the return match was no different. As both Zagreb and Magdeburg adopted a very slow rhythm, both teams only scored twice in the first eight minutes. But then, the visitors decided that putting their foot to the pedal might save them from trouble, and made everything a little bit quicker. As Matthias Musche and Tim Hornke scored quick goals from fast breaks, Zagreb failed to react and were down by eight at the break (14:22). Magdeburg did not slow down as they came back from the dressing room. Although their defence let some holes open, allowing Ihar Bialauski and Adin Faljic to score some goals, the German offence proved to be more efficient as well. Left wing Matthias Musche, in particular, was in the spotlight, scoring 11 goals in total. Although Magdeburg did not manage to lead by 10 goals or more, they did take their eighth straight win of the season, comfortably remaining on top of group B.

MOTW: Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) vs Barça (ESP) 27:30 (13:19)

H2H: 1-1-11

Top scorers: Yahia Omar 7/11 (Paris Saint-Germain Handball), Timothey N’Guessan 7/10, Ludovic Fabregas 7/9 (both Barça)

Barça’s performances are often linked with their goalkeeper Emil Nielsen’s efficiency, and tonight was no different. As long as the Barça goalkeeper did not make saves, Paris remained in contention, but when the Dane blocked a couple of shots, his team immediately took a five-goal advantage. Scoring on transition with Ludovic Fabregas and Timothey N’Guessan, the Blaugranas had the momentum on their side throughout the first half. Even though Ferran Sole and Elohim Prandi both scored three, Paris never managed to catch up and finished the first part of the game trailing 13:19. Barça and Nielsen started the second half in the same way; with five consecutive stops, the Danish goalkeeper allowed his team to take a nine-goal advantage shortly after coming back on the court. Then Paris’ goalkeeper Mikkel Løvkvist made eight straight saves, and his team came back within two with 16 minutes left to play. But Barça never lost their composure. A couple more Nielsen saves and three Timothey N’Guessan goals in the money time helped the visitors secure victory.

Main photo © Igor Kralj/PIXSELL