SUMMARY: Zagreb and Szeged book play-offs; Aalborg, Kiel and Barça to quarter-finals

• round 13 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase
• in the MOTW on Thursday, Magdeburg beat Barça 29:28, with a last-second goal
• on Wednesday: THW Kiel booked the quarter-finals after a 28:27 win vs Szeged; Plock secured a last-gasp point at GOG, 32:32; Aalborg handed Pelister another loss, 33:28; and Porto stayed in the play-off race after a dramatic finish vs Celje, 32:30
• on Thursday: Zagreb beat PSG 28:26 to clinch their play-off berth; Kielce defeated Kolstad 31:23; and Veszprém took an important win at Montpellier, 37:31
• Follow the official EHF Champions League socials on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook
• Courtney Gahan reporting on Thursday evening. All photos courtesy of the home teams

Thursday 29 February

23:28

As we come to the end of the live blog coverage of round 13, I leave you with a special moment from tonight's game in Zagreb. There, Nikola Karabatic was honoured with a presentation at the end of the match, in view of this being his last season before he retires. 

The Frenchman is the holder of the most individual national team titles in handball, with 11 won across World Championships, EHF EUROs and Olympic Games — some won in finals against Croatia, and one world title won in Croatia. He has also won the Champions League three times, so his status as a legend in the sport is indisputable and that was on display tonight when a club he has never played for chose to honour him. 

There is a special link to Croatia though, as his father was Croatian. 

Watch the special moment below! And we'll see you next week as the Machineseeker EHF Champions League group phase comes to an end. 

23:25

Time for a recap of the day's action! Read about how the four matches unfolded in the day review below. 

23:14

What a MOTW it was! Below, check out the ending, as Gisli Kristjansson secured the win for Magdeburg. With six goals from six attempts, a key role orchestrating the attack in the second half in particular and delivering superbly in crunch time, Kristjansson earned the Player of the Match award. 

22:55

Now the round is wrapped up, there are some more outcomes of the results recorded over the past two days confirmed.

While Kolstad's win meant their own chances of progressing ended, it also secured PICK Szeged's place in the play-offs, as now the Hungarian side are safely in the top six sides in group A. 

After Aalborg beat Pelister on Wednesday and moved up to 18 points in group A, and PSG lost to Zagreb today, the Danish side are now sure to finish as one of the two top teams in group A and they have therefore clinched a direct quarter-final berth. That means both of group A's direct quarter-final places are decided, with Kiel having taken the other one. 

And that's not all — there is only one direct quarter-final ticket remaining, as Barça have clinched one of group B's, despite a loss in the MOTW. 

So what's to be decided in round 14?

• the last direct quarter-final ticket, from group B
• the last play-off ticket, also from group B, between Plock and Porto
• final group rankings, which determine who meets who in the knockout round

22:28

Speaking in the post-match interview just now, Magdeburg coach Bennet Wiegert had a simple response when asked the key to their MOTW win:

"In my opinion it was belief. It was the belief to have the chance to win at home against Barça." 

22:16 RESULT | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 29:28

A thrilling finish to a thrilling Match of the Week, as Gisli Kristjansson nets the match winner seconds before the end to clinch the points for Magdeburg.

22:14 RESULT | MONTPELLIER VS VESZPRÉM 31:37

Veszprém take the two points from Montpellier and move up to 20 points on the table, widening the gap between the group frontrunners and fourth-ranked Montpellier. 

22:10 57th MINUTE | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 26:26

Absolute madness in the MOTW, as Barça come back to level. In goal, Barça's Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Magdeburg's Nikola Portner are showing their ability to perform in crunch time, as both have made some key saves for their side. 

22:06 53rd MINUTE | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 26:24

Magdeburg's back court are on absolute fire, with Gisli Kristjansson driving the attack as the home side grab the momentum late in the game and create a two-goal gap.

22:02 51st MINUTE | MONTPELLIER VS VESZPRÉM 25:32

Montpellier cannot match Veszprém's power and keep the match close, and Veszprém have reopened a clear distance. 

With the MOTW so close, Veszprém are giving themselves a good chance of the direct quarter-final ticket as they eye victory in Montpellier. 

21:57 47th MINUTE | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 23:23

EHF FINAL4 2023 MVP Gisli Kristjansson has had a big impact for Magdeburg, scoring three goals in the last six minutes and helping inject more speed into the German team's game to bring chances for others. But Barça are always quick to answer, like just now, as Kristjansson scored then Luis Frade netted a long-range goal for Barça mere seconds later. 

Another player who grabbed attention in the last few minutes is Barça keeper Gonzalo Perez de Vargas, who saved his third penalty out of four faced to make an incredible rate of 75 per cent from the seven-metre line. 

21:52 43rd MINUTE | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 21:21

It's a night of comebacks for sure, as Magdeburg score four in a row to pull the game level just as it looked to really be slipping away.

21:42

The second halves are underway in Magdeburg and Montpellier and we have two completely different games on our hands — different from each other, and different from their own first halves. 

In Magdeburg, Barça have stretched their one-goal half-time lead to a distance of four, 18:14, and are looking stronger than their opponents after the first 30 minutes were fairly level. Veszprém have a one-goal edge over Montpellier, 22:21, after dominating most of the first period. So, all up in the air and all to play for on both courts! 

21:23 HALF-TIME | MONTPELLIER VS VESZPRÉM 18:17

A huge finish to the half from Montpellier, as they outscore Veszprém 5:1 in the last five minutes to take the score from 13:16 to 18:17 in their favour in time for the break.

21:20 HALF-TIME | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 13:14

Magdeburg cannot level the game but have kept it steady and go to the break just one behind after a buzzer-beating goal from Daniel Pettersson. Emil Nielsen makes a great case for himself as Player of the Match as he saves nine shots at 40.91 per cent in the first period. 

21:12 23rd MINUTE | MONTPELLIER VS VESZPRÉM 12:15

Veszprém still hold the lead but Montpellier have recovered from a slow start and reduced the steady four-goal difference a touch, to two- to three-goals. for the last seven minutes or so. The French side are certainly more in the game now, although a poor shooting and attacking efficiency has haunted them as they have missed 10 shots to Veszprém's four. 

21:04 18th MINUTE | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 8:10

Gonzalo Perez de Vargas comes on to make a penalty save that keeps Barça in control, as they hold a two-goal lead in the MOTW.

Magdeburg are having a lot of trouble stopping Barça's attack and have had to change goalkeeper Nikola Portner out for Sergey Hernandez after the former made no saves against seven shots. At the other end of the court, Emil Nielsen is on fire yet again, with five saves for Barça so far. 

20:58 11th MINUTE | MONTPELLIER VS VESZPRÉM 5:8

Montpellier are chasing their visitors after a much stronger opening from the Hungarian side. In the first leg between these teams, Montpellier had the lead at the break but Veszprém turned the tide in the second half and took a two-goal win. So far, it's not looking as though this match will be as close as that reverse fixture as Veszprém are really powering through the half.

20:51 6th MINUTE | MOTW MAGDEBURG VS BARÇA 3:4

No chance for the goalkeepers so far in MOTW, with seven goals scored in the first six minutes and the teams attack at pace. 

The reverse fixture of this duel saw Magdeburg's biggest Champions League defeat ever, as Barça won 32:20. Magdeburg have won all 10 group matches since then. 

Tonight Barça need only a draw to secure top of the group, as they currently hold 22 points ahead of Magdeburg on 20 and Veszprém on 18. If Magdeburg win the MOTW and Veszprém do not win at Montpellier, then Barça and Magdeburg take the direct quarter-final places. 

20:49

Three minutes played in Magdeburg and Montpellier and both courts see the exact same score — 2:3, with Veszprém just in front in France and Barça with the narrow edge in Magdeburg. 

20:35

The last two matches of the round have plenty at stake. All four sides are through to the play-offs, but Barça, Magdeburg and Veszprém are in the fight for group B's direct quarter-final places. 

Watch the games live on EHFTV or follow the live stats on the links below! 

• MOTW Magdeburg vs Barça
• Montpellier vs Veszprém

20:19 RESULT | KIELCE VS KOLSTAD 31:23

No doubt in the end in Kielce! The home side take a commanding win that puts them on 15 points level with PSG on the group A table, while Kolstad can no longer progress to the play-offs and will rank seventh in the group. 

20:17 RESULT | ZAGREB VS PSG 28:26

A poetic finish as Luka Klarica nets his 10th goal to secure the victory for Zagreb. With the two points gained here, Zagreb are sure of a play-off spot. 

20:15 59th MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 27:26

Absolute thrills to the last in Zagreb. PSG end up scoring four in a row to turn the 24:22 game into a 24:26 one in their favour, but Zagreb then take their turn with a run of goals that put them in front as the final whistle looms. 

20:08 54th MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 24:24

Two goals in a row from wing Ferran Sole see PSG level the game just when Zagreb seemed to be able to hope. 

20:06 52nd MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 24:22

Zagreb have victory within their sights here, as they maintain a steady lead of one to two goals and the buzzer draws closer. PSG have not equalised the game since the 43rd minute. 

20:02 48th MINUTE | KIELCE VS KOLSTAD 24:18

Into the final quarter of the game in Kielce and it's not looking good for Kolstad, whose season will come to an end if they are defeated here. Such a result will wrap up group A's play-off places, leaving only the last place in group B open ahead of the final round of the group phase. 

One of Kolstad's problems is certainly that only five players have contributed to the score board, with backs Simen Lyse, Gabriel Setterblom and Sander Sagosen responsible for a combined 15 of their sides goals. 

19:56 44th MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 22:20

Luka Klarica nets his ninth goal on a fast break, following a strike from Miloš Kos, and Zagreb create the first two-goal difference since the 23rd minute and only the second in this extremely tight match. 

19:51 40th MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 19:19

Zagreb do not know it, but they are eyeing the play-offs right now, as the match in Croatia remains extremely tight while in Kielce it's slipping away from Kolstad. A win for Zagreb will take them through, but so will a Kolstad loss even if Zagreb are also defeated. Zagreb are well in with a chance to take at least a point from this encounter, while a comeback for Kolstad is looking unlikely. 

Luka Klarica has hit a bit eight goals for Zagreb. 

19:47 39th MINUTE | KIELCE VS KOLSTAD 19:12

Timeout Kolstad as Kielce steamroll ahead to a clear difference of seven goals. The main factor is clearly between the posts, with Wolff adding four saves already and staying at a rate of 50 per cent, making it extremely difficult for Kolstad to close the gap in any way. 

19:39

Return to action in Zagreb and Kielce, with PSG the first on the board in Croatia while Andreas Wolff saves Kolstad's first attempt on goal in the second period in Poland. 

19:26 HALF-TIME | KIELCE VS KOLSTAD 13:10

Kielce maintain their hold on the game and lead by three at the break. Alex Dujshebaev nets all three of Kielce's goals in the last six minutes to spearhead the Polish team's attack leading up to half-time, while Andreas Wolff keeps his rate up there with nine saves in the first 30 minutes at 47.37 per cent. 

19:24 HALF-TIME | ZAGREB VS PSG 13:13

All square at the break in Zagreb, after a very close half with the difference at more than one goal only once in the entire 30 minutes. Zagreb have had to work much, much harder for their goals, taking 26 shots to PSG's 18 in the first half, yet scoring the same number. 

Zagreb's Luka Klarica nets six goals to lead the scoring chart clearly. 

19:16 25th MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 10:10

The rise of Jannick Green! PSG's Danish goalkeeper has become quite a nightmare for Zagreb, stopping eight shots already to play an important role in the home side's low shooting efficiency. Yet Zagreb are keeping level, showing just how important Green's saves are, as the Croatian side would surely be leading if the Danish wall was not in front of them. 

19:10 21st MINUTE | KIELCE VS KOLSTAD 10:8

Into the last 10 minutes before half-time in Kielce, where the home side have pulled away to a narrow edge. In attack two individuals have made this game theirs, as Dylan Nahi has netted four of Kielce's goals while Sander Sagosen has scored three for Kolstad. In goal, Torbjørn Bergerud's save rate has dropped, but Andreas Wolff is still having a blinder for Kielce. 

18:58 13th MINUTE | ZAGREB VS PSG 5:5

Zagreb are distributing the responsibility in their crunch match, with five different players scoring their goals so far as they keep level with PSG. Those stats reflect the Croatian side's efficiency in attack, where they are outplaying PSG, as the French side record a higher number of turnovers.  

18:55 10th MINUTE | KIELCE VS KOLSTAD 3:3 

10 minutes played in Kielce and we are seeing two incredible goalkeepers keeping that score down, with Kielce's Andreas Wolff on 40 per cent and Kolstad's Torbjørn Bergerud on 57.14 per cent. 

Kolstad essentially have their whole season on the line here and that motivation is proving a great asset for the Norwegian side. 

18:47

Day two of round 13 is officially underway. The first goals of the day come from two Norwegian right backs playing on the away sides — in Kielce, Kolstad back Gabriel Setterblom nets first, while PSG back Kent Tønnesen opens scoring in Zagreb. 

18:37

Into the final minutes before throw-off in Zagreb and Kielce now! Join us on EHFTV and follow the live statistics on the links below: 

• Zagreb vs PSG
• Kielce vs Kolstad

18:33

The other match coming up at 18:45 CET sees Kielce hosting Kolstad, also in group A. Kielce enter the clash with 13 points, sitting fourth on the table. Kolstad have nine points and rank seventh — currently outside the play-off places and facing the chance of being knocked out of the competition tonight if they do not beat Kielce. 

The reverse fixture in round 2 saw Kielce win narrowly, 32:30. But now it has been a while since Kielce tasted victory — four rounds to be exact, as their last win came in round 9. 

18:19

With this being the penultimate round of the group phase, there's plenty on the line tonight. At 18:45 CET Zagreb host Paris with the chance to book their place in the play-offs if they beat the French side. They can secure their spot in the play-offs in case of a defeat, provided Kolstad's result against Kielce is not better than Zagreb's own result against PSG. 

PSG are sure of progressing to the play-offs, but have the chance to take one of the direct quarter-final places that come with being one of the top two in the group if they win their last two group phase games. 

The odds seem stacked against Zagreb in this encounter. PSG won the reverse leg back in round 2 35:31, and overall, in 13 Chamipons League games, Zagreb have only beaten PSG once before, in 2014. 

PSG are currently third in group A with 15 points, while Zagreb are sixth with 12. 

18:00

Hello and welcome to day two of Machineseeker EHF Champions League round 13! Courtney Gahan here to take you through the evening — and it's a big one, with quarter-final places on the line and the Match of the Week. 

Here's what's coming up tonight:

• 18:45 CET: Zagreb vs PSG
• 18:45 CET: Kielce vs Kolstad
• 20:45 CET: MOTW Magdeburg vs Barça 
• 20:45 CET: Montpellier vs Veszprém

Wednesday 28 February

23:19

Thursday should be a cracking day of the best European club handball. Match of the Week travels to Magdeburg who are hosts to Barça in the all-important group B clash. In the same group, Veszprém still hope for a top-two finish as they play Montpellier away.

In group A PSG can't afford to slip up in Zagreb, and Kolstad need a win against Kielce to stand any chance in catching up with the Croatian champions.

Our live blog therefore resumes tomorrow at 17:45. Until then, good night!

23:00

That completes first day of round 13. For a whole recap, make sure you read the day review by our Björn Pazen:

22:50

And here are the pics from Bitola as well where Aalborg managed an expected win. Now all they have to do is finish the job in round 14 to secure their quarter-final spot. Of course, if PSG lose in Zagreb, then Aalborg can start their celebrations already on Thursday!

22:43

The photos from Porto have arrived. Portuguese champions have survived and now focus on round 14 when they will challenge Plock for a place in the play-offs.

22:28

In the end it was a routine win for Aalborg who probably felt pretty comfortable knowing Pelister couldn't keep up with them. If PSG lose in Zagreb on Thursday, Aalborg will go through to the quarter-finals even before the final round.

If PSG don't lose, then Aalborg will have to secure their place in the quarter-finals next week at home against Kielce. No matter what, everything is up to them.

22:25

Porto have survived and stay in the hunt for play-offs. Celje threatened to take their first win which would eliminate the hosts, but the Portuguese champions woke up in time and were the better team in the final minutes.

Celje came to only a goal deficit a few times, but Porto responded every time. In the final minute Rakita received a two-minute suspension and Nikolaj Christensen secured the victory with 10 seconds to go. Christensen, Porto's leading scorer in this competition, also scored the previous goal for the hosts.

Slovenian champions have only one more chance to avoid finishing the group phase without a point, while Porto have the most important match in round 14 against Plock in Poland, direct rivals for the play-offs.

The only downside for Porto is the injury of their top scorer tonight, Areia. Having scored a goal for 30:28, Areia injured his right ankle and couldn't resume the match. He had to be escorted to the bench by his two teammates as he couldn't walk properly. He finished the game with nine goals out of 10 attempts.

22:21 | FULL-TIME

HC EUROFARM PELISTER - AALBORG HÅNDBOLD 28:33

FC PORTO - RK CELJE PIVOVARNA LAŠKO 32:30

22:12

Everything is still open in Porto. Milicevic keeps Celje in touch, 29:28 is the scoreline in favour of the hosts. Less than three minutes left in the match.

22:08

Celje perhaps got scared of their first win. Porto have put together three straight goals to lead 27:25 after a phenomenal, must-see double zeppelin goal from the hosts!

22:06

Pavle Petrovic and Lukas Nilsson have had a verbal, and a slight physical altercation after they both fell to the ground simultaneously. Luckily, everything settled down quickly. Aalborg are inching closer to another victory, they lead 29:23 with eight minutes to go.

22:01

Celje have equalised and then took the lead after Rakita's goal (24:23)! Porto were five goals to the good (20:15) not so long ago, but now their players are beginning to feel the pressure. 

21:54

Celje are refusing to give up, but they need to tighten their defence and find a way to stop Areia who's just scored his eighth goal tonight. Porto lead 22:19.

Also, Pelister score two goals in a row and force Madsen to call a timeout. Aalborg still comfortably in the lead, 24:19.

21:52

Aalborg are finding another, higher gear and Pelister, as expected, can't keep up. The Danish team lead by seven goals, 24:17 and it would take a gigantic shock for Pelister to turn this match around. The home crowd, however, continue to loudly support their team.

21:45

Antonio Areia picked up where he left off in the first half. Already three of his goals in the second half - seven now in total - and Porto lead Celje 18:14.

21:41

This is the danger now for Pelister. Aalborg score three goals in a row and already it's a different impression of the match (20:14). No timeout just yet from Branislav Angelovski.

21:38

Here we go, final 30 minutes of tonight's round 13 action! Aalborg and Porto with a three-goal advantage against Pelister and Celje, respectively.

21:28

As we take a break from matches in Bitola and Porto, let's take a look at the photos from Szeged and Odense. Kiel celebrated a tight win against Szeged, while Plock recovered from a five-goal deficit in the last 14 minutes to snatch a valuable point versus GOG.

21:26

Nikola Mitrevski ended the first half with 10 saves out of 21 shots, which is a very high per cent rate of 47. Reactions such as this one below helped propel Porto to a 14:11 advantage.

21:24 | HALF-TIME

HC EUROFARM PELISTER - AALBORG HÅNDBOLD 14:17

Aalborg are in the lead, but they're not brilliant so far. They're probably expecting Pelister's level to drop at some point and we'll see if that will be the case in the second half. Aalborg's biggest lead was three goals.

Landin with only a single save for Aalborg, while Hoxer scored four for the Danish side. Kuzmanovski and Borzas with a total of 12 goals (7+5) for Pelister.

FC PORTO - RK CELJE PIVOVARNA LAŠKO 14:11

Mitrevski, Plaza Jimenez and Areia took Porto to a three-goal lead at the break, after a fairly slow start from the Portuguese champions. Remember, they cannot afford to lose this match because if they do, they are eliminated from the competition.

21:14

Pelister are holding on. For now. They have been able to play some pretty good matches this season, but most of the time they haven't been able to keep that high level long enough to win some points. It seems like we might see the same story tonight as Aalborg lead by three goals for the first time (15:12).

In Porto, the hosts also have a three-goal cushion, they lead Celje 11:8. Plaza Jimenez and Areia scored eight goals in total.

21:05

After a poor start (2:5), Porto are now tied with Celje at 7:7. Their goalkeeper Mitrevski saved five out of 12 shots already.

21:02

Whistles all around the Boro Curlevski Sports Hall as Mikkel Hansen scores from the penalty shot, but Borzas replies with his fourth goal to bring Pelister level again, 9:9. Aalborg's head coach Stefan Madsen won't be too happy with his team's defence so far.

20:58

Pelister made a promising start, but Aalborg string together a couple of goals and lead 6:5. The score in Porto is frozen for a few minutes now, Celje with their nose in front, 4:2.

20:52

No saves from goalkeepers so far in Bitola. Pelister - Aalborg 3:3 after almost six minutes. Celje lead Porto 2:1 after a goal from Mitja Janc, competition's top scorer with 74 goals before this round.

20:45

Today's final two matches are under way! It's interesting to underline this: Aalborg provided Pelister with their biggest loss this season (38:23), and also the Danes have the second-most efficient offence of the group with 362 goals scored, while Pelister have 278 goals, which is the least efficient attack of the whole competition!

20:42

Fans are ready in Bitola!

20:37

This is how Plock earned their hard-fought point in Denmark. What a finish!

20:35

In group B, Porto are in seventh place and know they must not lose to Celje in order to remain in contention for the play-offs. They need at least a point to make sure they stand a chance in the final round when they travel to their rivals Plock.

Celje, just like Pelister, are also without a point so far. In the reverse fixture this season Porto won 30:29, which was their only away win in the group phase.

This will be the clash of the weakest defences of the whole competition. Porto conceded 421 goals, Celje 424.

20:31

Coming up in less than 15 minutes we have Pelister vs Aalborg and Porto vs Celje.

Pelister are bottom of the group A, looking for their first points after a solid second half performance against Kiel in the previous round (23:29). Aalborg are fighting hard for a place in the quarter-finals after they beat Szeged 31:26. They occupy second place with a point in front of PSG who are guests to Zagreb on Thursday. In the final round Aalborg host Kielce, so they have everything in their own hands.

20:26

Croatia's Tin Lucin was Plock's hero with 11 goals, nine of which were scored in the second half. GOG have already qualified for the play-offs, while Plock will probably have to play a crunch match against direct rivals Porto in round 14. But first, let's see how Porto will fare tonight against Celje.

20:24

With that win, Kiel have secured their quarter-final spot. They're on top of group A with 20 points. Aalborg and PSG, who have a match in hand, are on 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Szeged remain fifth with 13 points, which means they could still progress to the play-offs during this round, but only if Kolstad fail to win against Kielce on Thursday.

20:20

Wow, what a finish in Szeged and Odense!

Szeged first. Johansson's goal put Kiel 28:27 in front. Szeged then played seven on six in the final minute, but Garciandia gifted the ball to Kiel and that was it for the hosts.

In Odense, Thulin made a vital save to Zarabec's shot as we approached the final minute. However, GOG failed to score and confirm the victory before Serdio levelled the match with four seconds to go. Plock snatch a potentially important point having trailed 28:23 with 14 minutes left in the match.

20:17 | FULL-TIME

GOG - ORLEN WISLA PLOCK 32:32

OTP BANK-PICK SZEGED - THW KIEL 27:28

20:10

Both games are one-goal games right now! Szeged lead 27:26, and GOG are in front 31:30! Final four minutes!

20:08

Lucin is on fire for Plock! He's on 10 goals already, eight of which in the second half! Suddenly, GOG are down to only a two-goal advantage (30:28) with five and a half minutes left to play.

20:05

After a veeery long time (since 6:5) Szeged grab the lead thanks to Sostaric's eighth goal of the match, but in the very next attack Ekberg netted from the penalty shot to tie the game once more, 25:25.

20:02

Mihic and Lucin reduced Plock's deficit to three goals before Mensing scored to enlarge GOG's breathing space a bit (29:25).

20:01

Szeged keep coming back at Kiel. The German side scored twice in a row to lead 22:20, however Szeged again tied the score at 22:22. Sostaric with seven goals and Johansson with six lead the scoring list on both sides.

19:56

GOG are now constantly four or five goals in front against Plock. Right now it's 27:23.

The guests' goalkeepers have made only three saves so far. That's not enough to turn this match around, especially with Thulin on the other side who's stopped 11 shots.

19:53

Szeged have taken advantage of Kiel's two-minute suspension and even had the chance to take the lead, but Frimmel hit the post at 20:20. By doing that, his ball brushed Bellahcene's face so the referees went over to see the video replay. They saw no wrongdoing and play resumed without consequences for Frimmel.

19:42

Good start from Szeged and they've completely erased Kiel's advantage, it's 17:17 after Sostaric's converted penalty shot.

GOG are also on a streak right now. For the first time tonight they're up by five goals (20:15).

19:36

We're ready to pick up where we left off. Second half in Szeged is under way, we're waiting for Odense to join.

19:28

Similar to the game in Szeged, the team which trails right now had a better start in Odense too. Madsen and Blonz turned it around for GOG having scored nine goals in total, while Thulin made some fine saves as well.

Nevertheless, it's still all up for grabs.

19:24

Szeged enjoyed a better opening, but Kiel soon established control of the match and lead by four goals before the hosts narrowed the gap to two goals.

Johansson and Dahmke scored four goals each for Kiel, just as much as Sostaric for Szeged. Mikler with seven saves so far, Bellahcene on five.

19:22 | HALF-TIME

GOG - ORLEN WISLA PLOCK 17:14

OTP BANK-PICK SZEGED - THW KIEL 14:16

19:16

Szeged came within a goal from Kiel (11:12) before the German champions struck back with two goals. It's 14:12 now, but next offence is for Kiel.

Madsen's goal puts GOG in a 14:12 lead in Odense as well.

19:09

Final 10 minutes of the first half. Kiel were 12:8 in front, but goals from Sostaric and Bombac have brought Szeged to a two-goal deficit. Interestingly, we have the same scoreline right now in Odense where GOG lead Plock 12:10.

19:05

With the help of goalkeeper Tobias Thulin, GOG are also beginning to develop their own advantage against Plock. It's four goals without reply and GOG lead 10:7.

19:03

Kiel's line player Patrick Wiencek has taken a nasty fall after putting his team level at 6:6. It seems as though he's taken a slight hit in the back of his head while falling to the ground. He's been taken off the court and sat down on the bench, but he should be fine for the rest of the match.

Meanwhile, Kiel have scored five goals in a row and now lead 9:6, forcing Szeged's head coach Krisztián Kárpáti to call his first timeout of the evening.

18:58

In Odense the goalkeepers are finding it difficult to make any saves. Almost every ball founds the net. GOG - Plock 6:6 with three goals by Lykke for the Danes.

18:56

Szeged are again two goals in front after Sostaric's successful penalty shot (5:3). Kiel are struggling with the hosts' pretty aggressive defence so far.

18:52

Szeged's left wing Frimmel scored twice in the opening 65 seconds, but now it's 2:2, just like in Odense.

18:45

Round 13 is under way! First offences for Kiel and Plock.

18:38

With less than 10 minutes left until the throw-off in Denmark and Hungary, just a reminder that you can watch all matches live on EHFTV (geo-restrictions may apply).

Also, follow the official EHF Champions League socials on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.

18:30

A week ago Kiel enjoyed a routine victory 29:23 at home versus Pelister, while Szeged fell in Denmark to Aalborg 31:26.

In a highly contested reverse fixture in round 2 Kiel won at home 35:32.

Szeged suffered their only home loss this season in the competition to PSG. On the road, Kiel are the best in this group with three wins and a loss, but they also drew on their previous two trips to Aalborg and Kielce.

18:25

Niclas Ekberg is Kiel's top scorer in this season's competition with 67 goals. Here's what the Swede had to say before the Szeged encounter:

"Our goal is to take the first or second place. That's why we're travelling to Szeged to win there. We have experienced players who know what to expect in this hall. We have to pass this on to our younger teammates and prepare them for this atmosphere in the best possible way."

On the other hand, Szeged's right wing Mario Sostaric from Croatia has ambitions of his own.

"We will have to play in top form if we want to win. We are looking forward to the match and we hope to win to secure our spot in play-offs.”

18:20

First photos have arrived from Szeged and Odense. The teams are warming up!

18:13

GOG's head coach Mikkel Voigt is perfectly aware of the tough task that lies ahead.

"We are fighting for four points in the last two rounds so that we can secure our further progress in the tournament and at the same time we want to finish as high up in the table as possible. Wisla Plock is probably the European club we have faced the most in the last five years, so we know it will be difficult on Wednesday, even though we are at home, but we will definitely go for the victory."

Voigt's counterpart Xavi Sabate responded:

"We have faced GOG a number of times in recent years. We have never won there yet, neither have they won here until recently. We know that GOG has young and talented players in their ranks, some of whom were on the Danish national team at the last European Championships, where they stood on the second step of the podium. We are also aware that they present very fast and quality handball. Despite all of this, we are going to Denmark with the intention of getting something positive out of it."

18:05

As far as GOG and Plock are concerned, the Danish side have already booked their play-offs ticket in fifth place of group B with 10 points. The Poles are sixth with eight points, while Porto follow in seventh with six points.

In the previous round GOG fell in Veszprém 34:31, as opposed to Plock who beat Montpellier on home court 22:18.

The 30:26 victory in Plock was GOG's only away triumph this season so far!

18:00

Plock are ready for GOG!

17:55

We've already mentioned that Szeged need a point to reach the play-offs today, but actually they could progress during this round with a loss as well. For that to happen, Kolstad would have to lose or draw at Kielce on Thursday.

This is Szeged's roster for today's match:

17:50

We're just under an hour until round 13 officially starts. As Kiel put it, clash against Szeged is their second out of three remaining finals in the group phase.

17:02

Kiel's match in Szeged promises to become a tasty encounter... Players of the German group A leaders swapped their handball jerseys for a culinary outfit recently as they showed off their cooking skills:

16:48

In the early timeslot, we see group A leaders Kiel in action in Szeged. A win will guarantee the four-time champions a place in the quarter-finals. Szeged, though, will be eager to get at least a point, as that would lock up their play-off spot with a round to spare.

16:19

While we will wrap up round 13 Thursday night with the terrific MOTW between Magdeburg and Barça, let's focus on tonight's four games now. We will travel to all corners of Europe, with matches scheduled in Hungary and Denmark, and in Portugal and North Macedonia.

Aalborg, already assured of at least the play-offs, could lock up their top-two position in group A and earn direct entry into the quarter-finals with a win at Pelister (throw-off at 20:45 CET), although they would still have to wait for the result of Zagreb vs PSG on Thursday for that scenario to become reality.

If you haven't seen our Dare to Rise documentary on Aalborg goalkeeper Niklas Landin yet, you better watch it right now:

16:06

So, the last-but-one round in the group phase is about to start. All you need to know is summarised in this round preview written by EHF journalist Björn Pazen:

16:00

It is Wednesday, four o'clock, time for another live blog covering the Machineseeker EHF Champions League!

Your favourite competition heads into round 13 this week, with eight matches that will surely shed more light on the quarter-final and play-off line-ups, as we have only one more round outstanding next week.

So, here are the eight matches for this week, nicely divided between Wednesday and Thursday, concluded by the mouth-watering Match of the Week between Magdeburg and Barça: