Elche and PAOK make huge steps towards QF, Guardes win at home

• 2023/24 winners BM Elche are almost through to the quarter-finals after their 28:22 away win against Polish side KPR Gminy Kobierzyce, backed by ten goals from top scorer Carmen Filipa Claudino.

• Goalkeeper Sevilay Imanoğlu was the hero for Turkish side Bursa Büyükşehir BSK with 17 saves against Replasa Beti-Onak, but the Spanish hosts managed to fight back from a 9:15 half-time deficit.

• ŽRK Mlinotest Ajdovščina from Slovenia let slip a clearer win than the narrow 28:27 result against Cabooter Fortes Venlo (Netherlands), as they failed to score in the last five minutes, allowing the visitors to net the final three goals.

• Greek side A.C. PAOK took the biggest win of the week, beating Madeira Andebol SAD (Portugal) 37:26, backed by eight goals each from Vasiliki Gkatziou and Sanja Premović. Goalkeeper Emmanouela Tsiknaki also stood out with 14 saves.

• The pairings MSK IUVENTA Michalovce (SVK) vs ŽRK Split 2010 (CRO), Házená Kynžvart (CZE) vs Jomi Salerno (ITA) and Costa del Sol Málaga (ESP) vs ŽORK Bor (SRB) will be played as double-headers next weekend in Slovakia, Italy and Serbia.

Small cushion only for Atlético Guardés

Club Balonmán Atlético Guardés made a first, but not decisive, step towards the quarter-finals. The 2022/23 finalists claimed a 25:22 home win against Italian side Handball Erice SSD ARL. The hosts trailed only once, at 8:9, but their biggest advantage in the first half was just two goals, making the 10:10 scoreline at the break a fair result.

Right after the restart, Atlético Guardés pulled away with an impressive 6:0 run to take a 16:10 lead, as Erice failed to score for eight minutes. After a time-out, Erice found their rhythm again and reduced the gap goal by goal to 21:19, but a late double strike from Lorena Téllez and María Sancha González eventually decided the match. Still, a three-goal advantage is not a huge cushion for the Spanish side ahead of next week’s return leg in Italy. Téllez was the top scorer for the hosts with seven goals, Dagul Assana netted five times for Erice, while Brazilian legend Alexandra do Nascimento contributed four goals for the Italian side.