First teams reach round 3, Celje score 43 goals

• four teams go into the second leg next weekend with double-digit leads: BK-46, HC Alkaloid, RK Partizan AdmiralBet, and HK FCC Mesto Lovosice beat SKKP Handball Brno, Dragunas Klaipeda, HC Berchem, and KH Besa Famgas, respectively
• former EHF Champions League winners RK Celje Pivovarna Laško scored 43 goals in their away win against RK Gracanica — the most of any team; Celje enter the second leg with an eight-goal advantage
• last season’s runners-up Olympiacos SFP claimed a 30:21 win against HC Fivers WAT Margareten, scoring 20 goals in the second half 
• Runar Sandefjord made good use of their home advantage, beating CSM Bucuresti 66:51 on aggregate in a double-header, with the first leg played on Sunday and the second on Monday
• six matches were decided by three goals or less, which makes for exciting return legs next weekend
• VHC Sviesa’s centre back Karolis Bliuvas and Raimond Sassari’s left back Dino Hamidovic scored the most goals in a single match over the weekend, with 13 goals each

Pfadi Winterthur mount successful comeback in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Last season’s EHF European League participants Pfadi Winterthur endured a tough duel with RK Sloboda in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the first leg on Saturday, the Swiss side had a three-goal lead at half-time turned around by the hosts from the 45th minute onwards. A temporary four-goal deficit was cut down to 24:26 after the first 60 minutes.

In the return leg on Sunday, it was a close battle for 30 minutes. The teams changed sides being drawn at 13:13. However, eight minutes later the tables had turned in the favor of Pfadi Winterthur. A 5:0 run fueled by two goals each from Oliver Fløe Nøddesbo Eggert and Alessio Lioi opened the door for the Swiss. They never looked back and secured a decisive 29:20 victory to advance to round 3 by seven goals on aggregate (53:46). Goalkeeper Leonard Grazioli was outstanding with 30 saves (42.9%) over 120 minutes.