Nantes with an easy victory, Löwen win the German duel

• in their first ever duel with Zabrze, Nantes could rely on the strong performance from the Icelandic goalkeeper Viktor Hallgrímsson, who saved 17 shots
• Löwen took their first points in the main round also thanks to their goalkeeper, David Späth
• like Skjern, Flensburg, Sporting and Berlin, Nantes also have six points to their account, currently sitting at the top of their respective group
• the reverse fixtures of today’s matches will follow next week

GROUP I

HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Gornik Zabrze (POL) 31:23 (17:11)

Twelve different players on the scoreboard and a clearly dominant goalkeeper - those were the ingredients for the second clear victory of HBC Nantes. After winning 39:32 in Hannover last week, the French side again experienced no problems taking the points and consolidating the lead in their group. Zabrze were simply not able to keep the level from last week’s win against Rhein-Neckar Löwen. The game was equal until 7:7, turning into a one-way street later on with Nantes profiting from a 10:4 run before the break. In the second half, the gap was constantly between six and eight goals, with Nantes managing to save some strength using a huge rotation they have. Thibaut Briet (HBC) and Damian Przytula (Zabrze) were top scorers of their teams with five goals each.

Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (GER) 27:26 (11:13)

After five straight defeats in the Bundesliga, two consecutive defeats in the European League and the elimination from the German Cup, Rhein-Neckar Löwen showed signs of life. In a close and intense all-German battle, Juri Knorr & Co. turned the game against Hanover-Burgdorf around in the last 20 minutes. With four points each, both sides are equal in the table now. For the 'Warriors' it was the second main round defeat. With 20 saves and a 43 per cent saving ratio, Löwen goalkeeper David Späth was the hero of the day – but even his 12 saves in the first half were not enough for his side to be ahead. Rhein-Neckar Löwen simply committed too many mistakes in attack, and the visitors pulled ahead to 19:15 in minute 40. Then, 2016 EHF EURO champion Tobias Reichmann took the responsibility, steering his side to a 7:1 run – but still nothing was decided until Niclas Kirkelökke netted for the 27:25 in the final minute. Both Löwen wings – Reichmann (seven) and David More (eight) were top scorers of the match.