Magdeburg and Veszprém all square after dramatic quarter-final opener

EHF / Danijela Vekić

23 April 2025, 20:30

Nothing could separate SC Magdeburg and One Veszprém HC in their opening clash, with the scoreboard locked at 26:26 after a dramatic 60 minutes. Even in the number of shots there was a tie (37:37).

Veszprém advanced directly to the quarter-finals by topping Group A, while Magdeburg fought their way through the play-offs with commanding performances against Dinamo București. That same grit was on display again on home court, as they kept Veszprém within reach throughout, overturning a four-goal deficit to ensure everything will be decided next week in Hungary.

QUARTER-FINALS, FIRST LEG
SC Magdeburg (GER) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN) 26:26 (11:14)

Veszprém started strong, racing into a 4:1 lead
Lukas Mertens, stepping in for Matthias Musche who suffered an unfortunate injury early in the game, helped spark Magdeburg’s attack and level the score by the 12th minute (7:7).
Both goalkeepers were in top form — Magdeburg’s Sergey Hernandez and Veszprém’s Rodrigo Corrales traded crucial saves. Corrales, however, finished the first half stronger, making seven saves at a 38.89% efficiency to help Veszprém to a three-goal lead at the break.
The Hungarian side extended their advantage to four goals on three occasions (15:11, 17:13, and 22:18), led by Mikita Vailupau and the flawless Ludovic Fabregas.
Magdeburg’s resilience and defensive intensity paid off in the closing stages — Ómar Ingi Magnússon put them ahead for the first time in the 57th minute with a coolly taken penalty.
Both sides had a chance to snatch a win, but Magdeburg’s final free throw was blocked, sealing the draw.
Albin Lagergren led Magdeburg with eight goals, while Ludovic Fabregas was perfect for Veszprém, converting all nine of his attempts.
This marks only the second draw between the two teams, the first being a 35:35 thriller in October 2022.

The battle moves to Veszprém

With no winner in the opening leg, Veszprém will be left ruing their missed opportunity after letting a four-goal lead slip. Magdeburg’s comeback leaves the door wide open for both teams to reach the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2025.

The goalkeepers were the unsung heroes of the night. Sergey Hernandez and Rodrigo Corrales made five and four saves respectively in the second half, but their most crucial interventions came in the dying minutes — each registering an 11th save that denied the opponent a potential match-winner.

History, however, may favour Veszprém. Since the introduction of the EHF FINAL4 format in 2009/10, whenever Veszprém remained unbeaten away in the first leg of a quarter-final, they have always gone on to reach Cologne — as was the case in 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, and 2018/19.

I am sorry for Matthias Musche who will be out for a couple of months. In the first half we could not show what we wanted to do, but Veszprem played a fantastic defence. But at the end we even had the chance to win the game after a fantastic fight. Now the score is equal before the game in Veszprem. We will give all we have to reach our dream.

Bennet Wiegert

Head coach, SC Magdeburg

It is never easy to play in Magdeburg. The atmosphere was amazing. We knew there would be no desicion done today. We will give all we have next week with our fans to win the game and go to Cologne. Congratulations to both teams on a great game.

Rodrigo Corrales

Goalkeeper, One Veszprém HC