Day review 1: Bucuresti through, Velenje secure a draw against Sävehof

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Group C: RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) vs. IK Sävehof (SWE) 28:28 (12:15) 

What a great Velenje comeback in the final minutes – but would the draw be enough to proceed to the main round? Their progress would depend on the game between REBI Balonmano Cuenca and Pfadi Winterthur, with a win for the Swiss side meaning they would finish second and the Slovenian side will miss the next round. After 9:9, Sävehof were constantly ahead, intermediately with a five-goal lead (17:12) and even by 26:22 with eight minutes left on the clock. However, the hosts showed an incredible fighting spirit, scoring four in a row to level the result, but failing to take the lead. Only 16 seconds before the end, top scorer Tilen Sokolic secured the draw with his tenth goal. With this outcome, Velenje (now on five points) still have to wait to find out their fate. Gustaf Wedberg scored eight goals for the Swedish side.

Group F: Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN) vs. Vojvodina (SRB) 26:22 (13:14)

Bjerringbro-Silkeborg and Vojvodina will each carry two points to the main round, after the Serbian champions won the reverse fixture 29:28. Thanks to a 6:0 run, the visitors turned a 4:9 into a 10:9 and kept this advance until the break. The match was very much leveled until 19:18, when Rasmus Lauge led the scoring series that put his team 24:20 ahead. William Bogojevic ended up as a top scorer for the group winners with eight goals. The two will join SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Kadetten Schaffhausen in the main round, with four of them reaching the next round having two points each.

Group G: Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs. Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc Handball (FRA) 36:33 (23:14) 

They could have lost by seven goals and still proceed, but Dinamo Bucuresti were eager to give their fans a victorious final in the do-or-die match. After a close start, the hosts easily pulled ahead to their first double-digit advance right after the break at 25:15, but then did not take the match serious enough. When Chambery had reduced the gap to 31:29, Dinamo coach Xavi Pascual took his time-out – and his players understood, stopping the downswing immediately and finally sealing the deal for their fourth victory, backed by nine goals of Andrii Akimenko. The team from the Romanian capital will however start their main round campaign without a point, as they lost both games against the top side Füchse Berlin. 

Dinamo ADVANCE to the main round with their 36:33 win over @TeamChambe ! 🔴⚪️🙌 #ehfel #allin #elm pic.twitter.com/6lMO7QAsJN

— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) December 5, 2023

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Andy Schmid finished his last ever European Cup match victoriously. With five goals, four less than their top scorer Marin Sipic, he steered Kriens-Luzern to the 39:27 win against AEK Athens; both sides had already missed qualification for the main round, finishing third and fourth in group B

• after beating Lovcen-Cetinje 42:19 thanks to 13 goals from August Pedersen, Flensburg are confirmed winners of group E, regardless of the later result of the match between Elverum vs Schaffhausen.
• in group H, Tatabanya took their third win, leaving Glogow chanceless behind by 37:24; however, by losing the direct encounter against Sporting, the Hungarian side was already out of the main round race. Glogow finished with a single point.
• like Lovcen-Cetinje, Kristianstad finished the group phase without a point: the Swedish side lost their last match 27:31 against third-ranked side Benfica in group A, as goalkeeper Mike Jensen shone for the victors with 12 saves
• after taking only one point from five matches in group F, Alkaloid took their first victory in the last match. Top scorer Marko Mitev decided the thriller against La Rioja with his ninth and 10th goals of the night in the last minute; the Spanish side lost 27:28