Veszprém claim record win over PSG; Barça hold off Szeged comeback

• Veszprém had a 9:1 run within six minutes of the second half to go from 22:20 to 31:21 and break Paris’ resistance and secure their record win over the French club
• left-handers were on fine form for the Hungarian side, as Mikita Vailupau and Nédim Rémili netted eight and seven times, respectively
• Sporting’s Andrè Kristensen stopped 14 shots to help his team soar ahead by 10 goals at the break on Fredericia’s court, paving the way to an easy victory in Denmark
• led by Sergey Hernandez’s 15 saves, Magdeburg took their first points of the season by handing Kolstad their second straight loss
• Barça goalkeeper Gonzalo Perez de Vargas compiled 13 saves to prevent the title holders from fully squandering a 20:12 half-time lead against Szeged 

GROUP A

Veszprém HC (HUN) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) 41:28 (18:15)

The Paris Saint-Germain players certainly did not feel too unlucky going back to the dressing room only three goals down at half-time. While the start of the game was tight, the arrival on the court of Sergey Kosorotov gave the hosts the first breakaway of the evening. Scoring four goals while Rodrigo Corrales made save after save, the Russian left back gave Veszprém a first six goal advantage in the 23rd minute: 16:10. But Paris stuck to their guns, and with the help of their line players Luka Karabatic and Kamil Syprzak, they came back within three at the break. Led by Luc Steins, Paris held on to their two-goal deficit for a couple of minutes after the break before Veszprém put the pedal to the metal again. Scoring seven unanswered goals, with Mikita Vailupau scoring fast break after fast break, the hosts took a first 10-goal advantage at the 41th minute: 31:21. The gap between the two teams only grew further and reached 13 at the end – more than in any of the previous 16 duels between the two teams. And only a couple of saves by Jannick Green prevented Veszprém from handing Paris their biggest defeat ever in the EHF Champions League, which remains the 44:28 drubbing at the hands of THW Kiel in 2005.

Fredericia Håndbold Klub (DEN) vs Sporting CP (POR) 19:37 (8:17)

It did not take long for Sporting to find their rhythm into the game. After nine minutes, the visitors were already four goals ahead and had forced the hosts to take a first team timeout. Things did not improve for Fredericia afterwards, as the Danish side lost too many easy balls, offering their opponents fast-break opportunities. Francisco 'Kiko' Costa scored three early goals and in his wake, Sporting were ahead by 10 after just 22 minutes (5:15). The Portuguese side did not slow down after the break, with Kiko Costa again and Salvador Salvador making sure the 10-goal lead would not be lost. Things did not improve for the hosts after the break, as Sporting picked up exactly where they had left off. Thanks to Andrè Kristensen’s 14 saves, for a 50 per cent efficiency rate, Sporting made their advantage even bigger in the second part of the second half. It grew up to 18 goals at the final buzzer, with five players from the Portuguese side scoring four goals or more, while Francisco Costa proved to be the most prolific, with six goals.

GROUP B

SC Magdeburg (GER) vs Kolstad Håndbold (NOR) 33:25 (18:9)

Magdeburg put themselves in the driving seat within the first 12 minutes of the game. With Sergey Hernandez locking the door between the posts, the hosts were able to play fast and score easy goals. Albin Lagergren and Manuel Zehnder both scored three to put SCM ahead by seven after 12 minutes (10:3). While the visitors reacted, partly thanks to Torbjørn Bergerud’s saves, they were never able to reduce the gap to less than six goals. On the contrary, Magdeburg scored three straight goals for a nine-goal lead at the break. The time in the locker room benefited Kolstad, as the visitors came back with more aggressive defensive intentions. This allowed them to come back within six after 10 minutes, but Sergey Hernandez was quick to put his team out of danger again. At the other end of the court, Albin Lagergren pulled out a blinder. Scoring six goals in the second half, the Swedish left back compiled eight in total to keep his team in the lead. With five players scoring four goals or more, Magdeburg pulled out a strong team performance to take their first points of the season.

Barça (ESP) vs OTP Bank - Pick Szeged (HUN) 31:30 (20:12)

Just looking at the goalkeepers’ statistics was enough to explain Barça’s eight-goal lead at the break. Behind the Blaugrana's defence, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas put up a wall and stopped 11 shots. The Barça goalkeeper forced Szeged to shoot outside of the goal many times. Even though Tobias Thulin pulled out a good performance between the visitors’ posts, he could not prevent Barça from breaking away on the scoreboard. The advantage peaked at nine goals at the 24th minute when Jonathan Carlsbogard scored from distance, before Barça settled for eight at the break. The second half was much better for Szeged, as the Hungarian side was able to finally put their shots into the net, as well as stopping Barça’s offences. Mario Sostaric was elemental for the visitors, scoring eight in total and finishing the game as the best scorer. In his wake, Szeged was able to reduce the advantage to one goal with a few minutes left to play, as Dika Mem had left the court with a shoulder injury. But despite losing their captain, the title holders remained just on top. Emil Nielsen saved some important shots before wingers Manuel Ortega and Aleix Gomez sealed the deal for the hosts.

main image © 2024 Roland Peka/Veszprém HC