Löwen and CSKA book tickets to round 2

Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HC CSKA were the first teams to progress from qualification round 1 in the European League Men.

A full weekend of action came to an end on Sunday with two straightforward second leg wins, while there were a few surprising first leg results.

EHF EUROPEAN LEAGUE MEN – QUALIFICATION ROUND 1

HC CSKA vs Maccabi Rishon Lezion 29:23 (16:12)

• following a 29:26 win for CSKA on Saturday, the Israeli club needed something special to turn the tables in Moscow but it was the home side who opened up an early 4:0 lead
• Aleh Astrashapkin found the back of the net six times again, joined as the top scorer by Valentin Vorobev, as CSKA put the result beyond doubt early in the second half
• CSKA progress to round 2, winning 58:49 on aggregate

Górnik Zabrze vs ØIF Arendal 19:29 (10:15)

• Górnik Zabrze received a lesson in how to take your chances as they were soundly beaten at home by Arendal
• the Polish team outshot their opponents but could not find the back of the net, missing 31 attempts on goal, compared to 13 from the Norwegian visitors
• 22-year-old Olaf Richter Hofstad was the standout performer for Arendal, scoring all eight of his shots as his side take a commanding position halfway through this tie

Spor Toto vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen 22:42 (11:23)

• the tie was as good as decided after Löwen won the first leg by 16 goals on Saturday and they went even better in the second leg
• 20-year-old Philipp Ahouansou set the tone with four early goals and finished as the game’s top scorer with seven goals
• Löwen’s goalkeepers dominated, with Men’s 19 EHF EURO All-star goalkeeper David Späth even got on the scoreboard as Löwen won the tie 80:44 on aggregate

Balatonfüredi KSE vs HK Malmö 27:25 (11:14)

• Malmö were left ruing missed chances as they say a five-goal lead slip from their grasp in the second half
• the Swedish side looked good value for their advantage as they were led in attack by Hampus Jildenback and Magnus Persson’s eight goals each
• but four goals midway through the second half by Balazs Szollosi inspired a Balatonfüred comeback and they take a narrow lead with them into the second leg

Vojvodina vs Kadetten Schaffhausen 26:20 (16:9)

• having been designated as also-rans in recent years, Vojvodina made a statement with a shock win over Schaffhausen in Novi Sad
• Slovenian left back Gregor Ocvirk, a summer signing from Kristianstad, led the Serbian club to victory with five goals
• Kadetten newcomers Marvin Lier and Joan Canellas combined for eight goals, while the rest of the side struggled to put a run of goals together, leaving them with an uphill task at home next weekend