GOG in the main round, Szeged and Montpellier out

• With three consecutive saves in crunch time, goalkeeper Nebojsa Simić proved to be MT Melsungen's X-factor in their 28:26 win against Orlen Wisla Plock.

• Mario Šoštarić's nine goals were not enough for OTP Bank - PICK Szeged. The Hungarian side needed a victory to stay in the race for the main round, but ultimately had to settle for a 33:33 draw against GOG.

• Barça's 9:3 run ended Montpellier Handball's hopes after a strong start, with three Barça players scoring seven goals each.

• Francisco Costa set a new personal EHF Champions League scoring record with 14 goals in Sporting CP's 42:40 win against IFK Kristianstad.

• Fourteen saves from Dominik Kuzmanović, 11 goals from Philipp Weber and a strong second-half display paved the way for SC Magdeburg's away win at Kolstad Håndball.

GROUP B

MT Melsungen (GER) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) 28:26 (15:14)

H2H: 1-0-1
Top scorer: Eric Balenciaga 6/6, Aaron Mensing 6/11 (both MT Melsungen), Frederik Bjerre 4/7, Sergei Mark Kosorotov 4/6 (both Orlen Wisla Plock)

As expected, it turned into a close and hard-fought battle. From 8:7 in the 19th minute onwards, the hosts never trailed again, but Plock proved to be the tough opponent many had expected, relying on a physically strong defence and efficient wing play in attack. Melsungen’s biggest lead in the first half was two goals, and although they made the better start to the second half, Plock remained within touching distance, even after defensive specialist Leon Šušnja received a red card following his third suspension. But, just as in the previous home win against Nantes, goalkeeper Nebojsa Simić proved to be the decisive factor in crunch time, finishing with 11 saves. Three stops in a row helped MT open up a 26:23 lead, which they largely maintained until the final whistle. After losing the reverse fixture 25:24, the German side are now not only level on points with Plock (and Nantes) on six, but also hold the head-to-head advantage by a one-goal margin.

GROUP D

OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) vs GOG (DEN) 33:33 (17:20)

H2H: 2-1-3
Top scorer: Mario Šoštarić 9/9 (OTP Bank - PICK Szeged), Hjalte Lykke 8/9 (GOG)

They dreamed of reaching Cologne for the first time, but OTP Bank - PICK Szeged’s dream came to an abrupt end in the group phase, as they will continue their European campaign in the EHF European League. On the other hand, GOG had every reason to celebrate, as they booked their main round ticket thanks to a draw secured by Kevin Møller’s final save against Sebastian Frimmel’s shot on the buzzer. GOG took exactly the point they needed and now sit on seven points, but despite holding an intermediate five-goal lead, they still had to sweat until the end. Knowing that only a victory would keep their main round hopes alive, Szeged put the pedal to the metal right from the start. However, GOG turned the match around and even extended their advantage to 15:11. Boosted by the goals of Mario Šoštarić and Magnus Rød, Szeged managed to reduce the deficit. Šoštarić’s eighth goal levelled the score at 31:31 with six minutes remaining, and when Máté Fazekas completed a 6:0 run to make it 32:31, the hosts were ahead for the first time since 7:6. With 40 seconds left, Šoštarić scored to make it 33:33, but both sides were unable to convert their final opportunities.

Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) vs IFK Kristianstad (SWE) 42:40 (20:18)

H2H: 4-0-0
Top scorer: Francisco Costa 14/16 (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Baldur Bjarnasson 11/13 (IFK Kristianstad)

More or less, it was a match played for pride, as the major decisions in the group had already been taken after GOG secured the second main round spot earlier in the evening. Nevertheless, both sides produced an entertaining encounter with the focus firmly on attack and goals rather than defence. The Costa brothers, Francisco (six goals) and Martim (four), scored exactly 50 per cent of Sporting's goals before the break, but IFK Kristianstad remained competitive and stayed within striking distance, mainly thanks to their top scorers William Höghielm and Baldur Bjarnasson, who scored five goals each in the first half. The second half became something of a duel between Francisco Costa and Kristianstad. "Kiko" kept finding the net, but the Swedish champions refused to go away and cut the deficit to 32:31. In the end, they were only beaten by two goals.

GROUP E

Barça (ESP) vs Montpellier Handball (FRA) 40:34 (20:18)

H2H: 11-1-4
Top scorer: Timothy N’Guessan 7/11, Luis Frade 7/7, Aleix Gómez 7/8 (all Barça); Kylian Villeminot 6/11, Agustin Casado 6/10 (both Montpellier Handball)

After losing three matches in a row, Montpellier Handball had their backs against the wall, as even a draw against the defending and record champions would not have been enough to keep their hopes of a main round spot alive. The side coached by Érick Mathé were eager to pull off a miracle at the famous Palau Blaugrana, but they could only do so for the opening 24 minutes. At that point, Montpellier led 18:16, but then conceded a 4:0 Barça run before the break and found themselves trailing 25:21 in the 35th minute. While their attack flowed well, the French side lacked the necessary defensive stability and allowed Barça too many easy goals from all areas of the court. After Blaz Janc scored for the hosts' first five-goal lead of the night at 30:25 in the 43rd minute, Benjamin Richert received a direct red card for pushing Daniel Fernández, dealing another blow to Montpellier. By the time French superstar Dika Mem made it 34:28 in a one-sided second half, Montpellier’s fate was sealed.

GROUP F

Kolstad Håndball (NOR) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 32:35 (15:15)

H2H: 1-0-2
Top scorer: Simon Jeppson 10/14 (Kolstad Håndball), Philipp Weber 11/14 (SC Magdeburg)

Kolstad Håndball wanted to reward their fans with their first points in what was their last home match of the season, having already been eliminated from main round contention. But one good half was not enough. The stakes were relatively low for SC Magdeburg, who had already secured their place in the main round and will carry the maximum four points into the next stage. Therefore, coach Bennet Wiegert handed plenty of playing time to young talents such as M18 EHF EURO champions Tim Thielicke and Malte Elze. The most intriguing storyline of the match was a kind of private shoot-out between Kolstad’s Simon Jeppson and Philipp Weber of Magdeburg to become the top scorer of the night, eventually won by the German. The hosts did not trail until Magdeburg took an 19:18 lead in the 35th minute. As Kolstad’s shooting efficiency gradually declined against goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanović, SCM steadily pulled away. Weber’s 11th goal, which made it 32:26, effectively sealed the result. Like One Veszprém HC and Barça, Magdeburg remain one of only three teams with a perfect record after five matches.