Stunning Sporting beat Veszprém; Barça, Kolstad both win

• after two convincing wins to start the season, Veszprém were overrun by a furiously playing Sporting, who won 39:30 and remained flawless to lead group A with six points
• six players scored four or more goals for the Portuguese champions, led by Francisco Costa with seven goals
• defending champions Barça took a convincing 32:28 away win at Kielce thanks to eight goals of Melvyn Richardson
• Barça are the only unbeaten team left in group B, and now lead with six points
• Aalborg and Magdeburg remain level on three points each after their 33:33 draw
• Sigvaldi Gudjonsson was Kolstad’s hero in their first win of the season, netting 11 times in a 29:25 victory over Zagreb

GROUP A

Sporting CP (POR) vs Veszprém HC (HUN) 39:30 (23:17)

40 goals in the first half, 69 strikes after 60 minutes, and a historical night for Sporting CP. The Portuguese champions underlined their brilliant form – and the fact that they are not depending on just the Costa brothers. For Veszprém it was a night to forget right from the start. In the end, they matched their club record for most goals conceded in an EHF Champions League match, after they had also conceded 39 times against THW Kiel (2007), Kielce (2016), and Paris Saint-Germain Handball (2022) in the past. One week after their 41:28 gala against PSG, the team of Xavi Pascual was put back on earth by a brilliant attacking performance of Sporting. From 10:9, the hosts pulled ahead to 23:17 at the break, and their hunger was not stilled yet, as already in minute 38, Sporting had taken their first double-digit advantage at 29:19. Both Veszprém goalkeepers had no impact on the match, while Sporting’s goal machine was running until the end. The only good news for the Hungarian side: Nedim Remili remains on top of the scorers list with 25 goals ahead of Martim Costa on 21.

GROUP B

Industria Kielce (POL) vs Barça (ESP) 28:32 (13:17)

A Barça player who is set to move to Poland next season was the key factor in their match at Kielce: top scorer Melvyn Richardson, who joins Orlen Wisla Plock in 2025. Netting six times in the first half, the French Men's EHF EURO 2024 gold medallist was instrumental for Barça's 17:13 lead at the break. Another main asset was Emil Nielsen, who clearly won the goalkeeper duel against Kielce’s Sandro Mestric. From 14:11, the gap remained three or four goals. Even the strong support from the many yellow-dressed fans in the stands did not help the hosts in their efforts to turn the match around. When Aleix Gómez converted a penalty for 27:22 with nine minutes to go, Barça’s third win of the season and their 10th in 15 matches against Kielce was a done deal. Kielce, though, remain on two points after their second consecutive defeat.

Kolstad Håndbold (NOR) vs HC Zagreb (CR) 29:25 (13:13)

After losing the first two group matches, Kolstad were already with their backs against the wall, but Zagreb continued the way they played against Aalborg last week (31:23) from minute 15 on – with a strong defence and goalkeeper Matej Mandic on a high in the first half. Earlier, the hosts were dominant, leading 10:5, but then gave the lead from their hands, as veteran Timur Dibirov was on fire, and even Mandic scored into the empty net. After the 17:16, the hosts were not behind anymore, but the biggest gap were two goals until the 26:23 five minutes before the end. Icelandic wing Sigvaldi Gudjonsson played an impressive match. Netting for the 11th time in minute 58 for the 27:24, Gudjonsson secured Kolstad’s first points. Best scorers for Zagreb were Luka Lovre Klarica with eight goals and Timur Dibirov with six.

Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 33:33 (17:13)

Both sides had to replace some key players (Niklas Landin, Henrik Møllgaard, Buster Juul, and Thomas Arnoldsen at Aalborg; Philipp Weber, Tim Hornke, and Felix Claar at Magdeburg), but the hosts coped much better with this situation in the first half. Being constantly ahead, they grabbed their chance to pull ahead with a 4:0 run for the half-time score of 17:13. With Lukas Nilsson on fire, the Danish champions extended the gap to 23:18. But led by Icelandic duo Ómar Ingi Magnusson and Gisli Kristjansson, who combined for 13 goals in total, the 2023 champions paved their way back into the match. Eight minutes before the end, the score line was 29:29 in the match full of two-minute suspensions on both sides. The hosts took the lead four more times, but Magdeburg equalised each time. Mads Hoxer missed the last chance for the hosts with a shot from distance which Nikola Portner just before the final buzzer. SCM line player Magnus Saugstrup (born in Aalborg and playing for his home club until 2022) finished the match wearing a turban after suffering a cut to his eye. In the end, head coaches Maik Machulla and Bennet Wiegert – who were teammates playing for Magdeburg in the past – shared the points.

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