Veszprém and Magdeburg keep perfect records; Kriens-Luzern take first points ever
After a two-week break, the EHF Champions League Men 2026/27 returned to action on Wednesday with five games, as the first half of the group phase approaches its conclusion.
In group A, Veszprém tightened their lead on the table by taking a commanding win in Belgrade against Partizan, while in group C, Paris enjoyed the same kind of night at home against Celje. The French side broke two of their own scoring records, as Celje faced the most goals the club has ever seen.
In group F, Kriens-Luzern made history, taking their first EHF Champions League win, against Kolstad, as Magdeburg won the rematch of the 2023 final.
The guys, they are playing amazing. Could be not the best handball — we miss a lot of shots also because the goalkeeper was amazing in the first half or at the beginning, and we lose some balls. We try to run, to put everybody to play, and I am so proud of these guys, how they are playing. Not only how we can win, it's how we are playing. And then to be coach of them, for me, is a privilege.
Was difficult for us because they have very good defence and also they have a very good goalkeeper. And when we were able to play good in attack, we were shooting against the goalkeeper, and it was impossible because he saved 24. But I think we are better — not much better, but we are improving the team. They are very strong for us.
We knew before the game that Kristianstad would be a difficult opponent, especially here in front of their home crowd. They played with a lot of energy and kept the tempo high throughout the game. We had to work hard for this result, and I am pleased with the way we managed the decisive moments. Even with the interruption late in the game, the players stayed focused and finished the match in a strong way.
I am proud of the way we competed tonight. We knew GOG were coming here in very good form, but we showed that we could match them for long periods and play handball at a very high pace. We were close for most of the game and gave ourselves a real chance against a very strong European team. Unfortunately, we could not quite maintain the same level in the final part of the game, but there are many positive things for us to take from this performance.
What a night! That was our first win in the EHF Champions League. This evening will be remembered for a long time. A big thank you to our fans for this incredible atmosphere.
That was a really good game in an amazing atmosphere. Congratulations to Kriens-Luzern. In the end, it got close again, and we felt the impact of our many injured or sick players. Still, we’re heading back to Norway with a positive vibe and looking forward to the return match.