SUMMARY: FTC and Motor secure last two L16 tickets; Nexe clinch group top spot
It is the last day of the EHF European League Men 2022/23 group phase, and PAUC, FTC, HC Motor and HC Eurofarm Pelister are all still hoping for a place in the Last 16.
- with the final group stage round behind us, we know the final standings
- in group A it's Montpellier, Göppingen, Kadetten Schaffhausen and Benfica (Tatran and Fejer Veszprem are out)
- in group B it's Flensburg, Ystads, Valur and FTC (PAUC and Benidorm are out)
- in group C it's Nexe, Sporting, Granollers and Skjern (Alpla and Balatonfüredi are out)
- in group D it's Füchse, Skanderborg, Bidasoa and Motor (Eurofarm and Aguas Santas are out)
- read the round preview and check out what teams need to progress
- group standings are here
- all matches live on EHFTV (geo-restrictions may apply)
Tuesday 28 February
23:45
And with that, we've reached the end of our live blog coverage for the day. The EHF European League group stage is now behind us and the first leg of the Last 16 matchups is scheduled for March 21, the second for March 28. Until then, keep an eye on our previews, stories, and interviews! Have a good night!
We're leaving you with a full list of our Last 16 pairings!
The ROAD TO THE #EHFFINALS is set! 🔥
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
Which teams do you see advancing to the next round? 🤔👇#ehfel pic.twitter.com/x9hGU6m4AG
23:38
In the end of the night, here is what the coaches of FTC and Motor - the last two teams to book the EHF European League Last 16 tickets, had to say after the games today.
Istvan Pasztor, FTC coach: ''We were really focused from the very beginning all the way until the beginning of the second half. We weren't able to keep the tempo and focus level as high as we'd want it to be throughout the entire encounter - we've has a lot of missed shots. However, in those last key moments of the game we were focused!''
Gintaras Savukinas, HC Motor coach: ''Obviously we're really happy about the fact we've managed to win the game in this atmosphere here tonight. I'd say this was probably our biggest win this season so far, and I'm really proud of my guys. We'll use this match as a guide about how we have to play every time we're out there and approach every single game!''
23:23
As always, you can find all the facts, figures, and everything else you need to know in our group reviews so make sure to check them out!
23:15
As we're slowly bringing the live coverage of the final group stage round of the EHF European League to an end, it's time to check out all the results from the day that is behind us.
The final day of the #ehfel group phase is in the books! These are the results of round 10! 👀
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
What has been the biggest surprise? ✍️👇 pic.twitter.com/LURPCNQ2NS
23:10
From groups C and D, Nexe will play Motor, Sporting will face off against Bidasoa Irun, Füchse Berlin will play against Skjern, and Skanderborg Aarhus will meet Granollers.
23:05
With the group stage behind us, we now know all the EHF European League Last 16 pairings.
From groups A and B, Montpellier is going to face off against FTC, Göppingen will play Valur, Flensburg will meet Benfica, and Ystads will play against Kadetten Schaffhausen.
10:50 p.m
We'll take a short break from all the analysis and enjoy this goal scored by Benidorm. What was even that?
MUST-WATCH: You won't see a crazier goal than this one tonight! 😱🤩 @bmbenidorm | #ehfel pic.twitter.com/6Zx71c336i
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
10:45 p.m
In group C, Nexe will advance through to the Last 16 from the top position, Sporting is second, Granollers third and Skjern fourth. Alpla Hard and Balatonfüredi are out.
Finally, in group D, Füchse finishes on top, Skanderborg is second, Bidasoa third and Motor fourth. Aguas Santas is out, as well as Eurofarm Pelister after the home loss to Motor today.
10:40 p.m
The 2022/23 EHF European League group stage is now behind us, so let's take a look at the final standings.
In group A, Göppingen failed to defeat Montpellier by more than seven goals which means Montpellier remains first, Göppingen second, Kadetten Schaffhausen third and SL Benfica fourth. Tatran Presov and Fejer BAL-Veszprem are out.
In group B, Flensburg will advance from the top spot, Ystads is second after Valur failed to defeat them by three or more goals today, Valur is third and FTC has managed to secure one of the final two L16 tickets with a home draw against Flensburg . PAUC Handball and Benidorm are out.
10:35 p.m
With all the 2022/23 EHF European League group stage matches behind us, it is time to have a quick look at the photo gallery from these last seven games.
22:25
After a big drama, we've found out the names of the final two teams that we'll see in the EHF European League Last 16, and it is Motor and FTC!
French PAUC was inches away as the ten-goal win against Benidorm would have been enough for them in case FTC lost to Flensburg, however Hungarians managed to pull of a surprise at home securing a draw against the group leaders. Bence Nagy led them with nine goals while Mate Onodi Janoskuti and Bendeguz Bujdoso added five each.
In Bitola, Motor managed to defeat Eurofarm Pelister. Young Ihor Turchenko led them offensively with seven goals, while Gennadii Komok finished the match with 13 saves.
In Lisbon, Nexe managed to clinch the group C top spot with a win over Sporting. Unbelievable Dominik Kuzmanovic finished the match with 26 saves, while Marin Jelinic scored nine goals.
22:20 FULL TIME
HC EUROFARM PELISTER - HC MOTOR 25:27
SPORTING CP - RK NEXE 28:34
FTC - SG FLENSBURG-HANDEWITT 27:27
PAUC HANDBALL - TM BENIDORM 39:29
ALPLA HC HARD - FRAIKIN BM. GRANOLLERS 27:27
AGUAS SANTAS MILANEZA - FÜCHSE BERLIN 23:29
BIDASOA IRUN - SKANDERBORG-AARHUS 29:26
22:07
As we are approaching the final five minutes of our last seven 2022/23 EHF European League group stage matches, Nexe is leading Sporting 23:26, Eurofarm has managed to narrow the gap to only -1 (23:24) and Flensburg is 21:23 ahead.
Senjamin Buric has helped Flensburg turn the corner with 19 saves so far while incredible Dominik Kuzmanovic has 23 already. Ihor Turchenko has scored six for Motor so far.
21:55
With just under 15 minutes left to play, Sporting levels the result at 22:22. Motor has managed to extend the lead to three goals (20:21) and Flensburg has taken over the control of the game against FTC (20:21). PAUC leads 31:21. If PAUC wins and FTC loses, it is overal goal difference that decides who goes through. Prior to the final group stage round, PAUC had -18 and FTC -10.
21:47
FTC leads Flensburg 19:18, Motor is 17:19 ahead in Bitola, and Nexe leads Sporting 18:20 in Lisbon. PAUC leads 25:17 against Benidorm.
Incredible Dominik Kuzmanovic is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down having 18 saves already and being the key for Nexe in this one so far.
21:38
What a game Dominik Kuzmanovic is having in Portugal!
🎶'No need to ask
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
He's a smooth operator
Smooth operator' 👏@rk_nexe | #ehfel pic.twitter.com/vrk6cQcUgi
21:27
In Bitola, Motor seems to be closer to the knock-out stage of the EHF European League as the guest team leads 13:15. Ihor Turchenko and Oleksandr Kasai are leading Motor with four goals each.
FTC are in front against German Flensburg at home. Bence Nagy and Bendeguz Bujdoso are leading them scoring four goals each. As a reminder, PAUC which is currently leading Benidorm, has a chance to overtake the fourth spot from the Hungarians in case they defeat Benidorm, FTC loses to Flensburg, and the French team ends up having a better overall goal difference.
In derby of the group C in Lisbon, things are levelled after the first 30 minutes (14:14).
21:20 HALF TIME
HC EUROFARM PELISTER - HC MOTOR 13:15
SPORTING CP - RK NEXE 14:14
FTC - SG FLENSBURG-HANDEWITT 15:13
PAUC HANDBALL - TM BENIDORM 17:14
ALPLA HC HARD - FRAIKIN BM. GRANOLLERS 13:13
AGUAS SANTAS MILANEZA - FÜCHSE BERLIN 10:17
BIDASOA IRUN - SKANDERBORG-AARHUS 16:12
21:13
Dominik Kuzmanovic is having a day so far with 10 saves for Nexe against Sporting. Ihor Turchenko has on the other side managed to find the net of Eurofarm Pelister four times already. Gabriel Loesch is leading PAUC with four goals against Benidorm, and Bence Nagy has scored just as much versus Flensburg.
21:09
Aaron Mensing makes sure FTC doesn't widen the gap too early. What a shot!
Aaron Mensing lets one rip! 👀@SGFleHa | #ehfel pic.twitter.com/sf1CSCYV3i
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
21:06
Going into the final ten minutes of the game, PAUC leads Benidorm 12:9, FTC Leads Flensburg 11:10, and Eurofarm leads Motor 11:10.
20:55
Ten minutes into the matches, things are all levelled in Bitola between Eurofarm Pelister and Motor (7:7) while FTC leads Flensburg 7:5, and PAUC leads against Benidorm (5:4).
In a derby match of the group C, Nexe leads 5:4 in Portugal with Dominik Kuzmanovic shining between the posts.
20:45
And the final seven matches of the 2022/23 EHF European League group stage are under way!
20:38
Group C brings us a duel between Sporting and Nexe. In case the Portuguese team manages to defeat Nexe at home, they will advance through as a top-positioned team from group C. If Nexe loses and Granollers defeats Alpla Hard, and ends up having a better overall goal difference than the Croatian side, Spaniards will finish the group stage on the second position, and Nexe will move down to the third.
Finally, in group D, top-positioned Füchse Berlin will play Aguas Santas. In case Eurofarm manages to defeat Motor, and Bidasoa ends up losing to Skanderborg, Macedonians will finish third and Bidasoa fourth. In case Motor defeats Eurofarm, Motor will advance as fourth.
20:35
Starting from 20.45 CET, we'll see the final seven games of the EHF European League Men's 2022/23 group stage.
In group B, top-positioned Flensburg will face off against FTC. As Valur failed to defeat Ystads by three or more goals, Hungarians will advance through to the knock-out stage from the third spot in case they manage to defeat Flensburg. PAUC Handball will, on the other hand, look for a win over Benidorm that would, in case FTC loses to Flensburg, and they end up having a better goal difference than the Hungarian team, put them through to the knock-out stage of the competition.
20:33
With five matches of our final group stage match day behind us, we're bringing you some of the best photos of the day so far.
20:23
After an incredible first half performance, Valur simply didn't manage to hold on to the lead with Ystads closing the gap to only two goals until the end of the second half which means Swedish team will advance through to the knock-out stage from the second position in the group. Value are now waiting to see if FTC manages to defeat Flensburg as such an outcome would bring the Icelandic team to the fourth spot.
German Göppingen has managed to reach a two-goal win over Montpellier which will surely boost their confidence going into the knock-out stage, but it is not enough for them to overtake Montpellier's top spot.
Cadets and Skjern have in the end secured comfortable home wins.
20:15 FULL TIME
YSTADS IF HF - VALUE 33:35
FRESH ON GÖPPINGEN - MONTPELLIER HB 27:25
CADETS SCHAFFHAUSEN - TATRAN PRESOV 38:30
SKJERN HANDBOLD - BALATONFÜREDI KSE 32:26
20:08
Oliver Rabek demonstrates how to 'catch and shoot'.
📖 If you were looking for the definition of team effort, watch this 👇🏼
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
Oliver Rabek scoring for Tatran Presov 💚#ehfel pic.twitter.com/uFDbeT7Gcn
20:06
With only three minutes left to play, Valur leads 32:33 in Sweden. Göppingen is, on the other hand, two goals ahead of Montpellier which means French team will most likely manage to keep the top spot in the group.
19:56
Kim Andersson of Ystads IF scores his fifth of the night as the Swedish team gets completely back into this one narrowing the gap to only two goals! What a game in Sweden! With ten minutes to go until the final buzzer, the result is 28:30.
19:49
A little under 15 minutes into the second half, Ystads has managed to narrow the gap to only five goals versus Valur (24:29). Anton Mansson has six goals, Jonathan Svensson five for the Swedish team. Once again, Valur needs a three-goal win (or more) in order to overtake Ystads in the second place of the group B.
19:40
Five minutes into the second half, Göppingen has managed to widen the gap to four goals as they are aiming for the eight-goal win that would push them to the top spot in their group.
19:30
Axel Goller took his time with this one making sure he puts it behind goalkeeper's back.
Axel Goller stealing the ball AND the spotlight today 🔦👏#ehfel | @FRISCHAUFGP pic.twitter.com/6JcmZM0Ka8
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
19:24
Valur is playing an incredible match led by Oskarsson, Valencia and Magnusson who have scored four goals each in the first half. When you add Bjorgvin Pal Gustavsson and his eight saves into the equation you get an eight-goal lead which will be hard for Ystads to catch in the second half.
In Germany, Kozina and Schimdt are leading Göppingen that is leading 14:11 against Montpellier at the break. Maring Sego has eight saves. As a reminder, Göppingen needs an eight-goal win to finish the group stage on top of the group.
In Switzerland, Kadetten lead 20:15, and in Denmark it is 18:14 in favor of Skjern.
19:20 HALF TIME
YSTADS IF HF - VALUR 13:21
FRISCH AUF GÖPPINGEN - MONTPELLIER HB 14:11
KADETTEN SCHAFFHAUSEN - TATRAN PRESOV 20:15
SKJERN HANDBOLD - BALATONFÜREDI KSE 18:14
19:07
Ystads is going to need a lot more of this in case they want to get back into this one. The result is 9:15 with ten minutes left to play in the first and Valur has possession.
⚠️ Having three opponents in front of you? No problem for Jonathan Svensson ✅#ehfel | @YIFhandboll pic.twitter.com/k5fgAbd8Lh
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
19:05
An incredible performance from the Icelandic side in Sweden so far as they lead 7:14 about midway through the first. Arnor Snaer Oskarsson and Magnus Oli Magnusson have scored four each so far while Bjorgvin Pal Gustavsson has five saves. As the things stand at the moment, Valur will overtake Ystads' second position in group B.
18:58
Three goals for Arnor Snaer Oskarsson already as Valur leads Ystads 5:8 in Sweden. In Germany, Göppingen and Montpellier are levelled at 7:7. In Denmark, Skjern leads 7:5 with Christoffern Bonde stopping no less than 50.00% of shots heading his way so far.
18:50
Quick-fire double from Lukas Urban puts Tatran three goals ahead (0:3) away from home against Kadetten Schaffhausen. In Sweden, the result is 2:2, and in Göppingen the hosts are 3:2 ahead with five minutes on the clock.
18:43
With only two minutes to go, a final glance at the EHF European League group B standings ahead of the final group stage round.
18:35
Only ten minutes left until the first whistle in Ystads, in what will be an important game for both teams as Ystads can still finish second or third and Valur can move up (to the second place), or down (to the third). As a reminder, Valur needs a three-goal win to overtake the second spot in group B from the Swedish team.
18:29
In group B, Ystads will play Valur at home in a match in which Icelandic team needs a three-goal win in Sweden to overtake the second spot from Ystads. In case Valur fails to come up with a three-goal win, they will have to wait for the game between FTC and Flensburg (20.45 CET) to find out whether they are going to finish the group stage in third or fourth place.
Finally, in group D, fourth-positioned Skjern will welcome Balatonfüredi in what will be the last EHF European League match for the Hungarians this season.
18:27
We've got no time to waste with four games coming up from 18:45!
In a group A derby in Germany, Göppingen will look for an eight-goal win over current group leaders Montpellier that would help them overtake the top spot in the group from the French team.
On the other hand, third-placed Kadetten Schaffhausen will put an end to the EHF European League group stage hosting Tatran Presov.
18:25 FULL TIME
FEJER B.A.L-VESZPREM - SL BENFICA 26:35
A comfortable nine-goal win in the end for the reigning EHF European League champions SL Benfica. After losses to Kadetten Schaffhausen and Göppingen in the last two rounds, Portuguese side has this way managed to finish the group stage on a high note. Petar Djordjic led them in this one with seven while Janos Stranigg scored just as much for the hosts. With this loss, it is now clear that Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem will finish the group stage on sixth position in group A.
And here is the final look at the statistics!
18:17
With only five minutes to go in this one, Petar Djordjic scores his seventh of the day, that way catching up Janos Stranigg who has also scored seven so far. Benfica leading 25:31 at the moment.
18:07
Benfica is entering the final 15 minutes of the game with a four-goal advantage over the home team. Sergey Hernandez Ferrer is doing a great job between posts in the second, while Petar Djordjic runs the offense along with Ander Izquierdo Labayen. This one seems to be slipping away from Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem.
18:01
Leading the way offensively today for Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem - it's Janos Stranigg.
János Stranigg making sure he doesn't waste any opportunity to impress us with his powerful shots 🚀
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
How many more goals will he score today: ___? 🔮#ehfel pic.twitter.com/mfbsSzIJZ5
17:53
Petar Djordjic starts the second half well as Benfica opens the gap to five. Djordjic now has four, same as Bingo, while Grigoras still has five.
17:45
HALF-TIME: @modalidadesslb put pressure 💥 on hosts Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem and are three goals ahead after the first 30 minutes (17:14) ⌛
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
🏆 Who will snatch a win in the last round of the group phase?
📲 Stay tuned on https://t.co/AK2CFJBGE2 | #ehfel pic.twitter.com/rS1E1mkGXj
17:35 HALF TIME
FEJER B.A.L-VESZPREM - SL BENFICA 14:17
Guests have managed to find a way to finish the first half strong widening the gap to three goals. Demis Cosmin Grigoras (5) and Arnaud Bingo (4) are running the show offensively for Benfica while Gustavo Capdeville already has seven saves. On the other side, six goals for Janos Stranigg.
17:30
With only two more minutes to go in the first, Benfica takes over the lead at 14:15 after trailing throughout the bigger part of the first half.
17:23
Gustavo Capdeville shining early for the guests from Portugal.
A promising start for @modalidadesslb's goalkeeper Gustavo Capdeville, who manages two wonderful saves 👏#ehfel pic.twitter.com/VzXIERFEmS
— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) February 28, 2023
17:18
Janos Stranigg scores his fifth of the day as the hosts widen the gap to two goals (12:10) for the first time today. Benfica doesn't seem to have a problem with attack as Demis Cosmin Grigoras runs the show with five, but they'll have to find a way to stop Hungarians defensively if they want to finish the group stage with a win.
17:12
Red-hot Janos Stranigg keeps Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem in front (6:5) scoring four goals in only ten minutes.
17:06
Janos Stranigg (3 goals) and Carlos Martins (2) starting the day off well for their respective teams in the opening five minutes of the encounter. Hosts lead 4:3.
17:00
The first match of this final group stage day in the EHF European League is underway! The hosts will have the first possession in Veszprem, Hungary against the reigning EHF European League champions!
16:50
Welcome to the live blog coverage of the EHF European League final group stage round. We've got only ten minutes left until the first clash of the day with Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem welcoming Benfica.
The situation is already sealed for both teams - Benfica will finish fourth in group A, and Hungarians will end the EHF European League season in the group stage. Despite of that, reigning EHF European League champions will surely be looking to finish the group stage on a high note in Hungary against hosts who will definitely be highly-motivated against such a team.
16:25
At the sharp end of the season some teams are missing a few people through illness or injury - SG Flensburg-Handewitt announced yesterday that goalkeeper Kevin Møller needs an operation on his knee; FTC and Tatran Presov are also missing players, among others.
Yet fighting spirit is high still. Here's a few quotes ahead of the matches:
Jacobo Cuétara, Bidasoa Irun head coach: “We always have to think about winning every game, being better and finishing as high up the table as possible, but we know that they are a difficult opponent. With our fans
we'll see if we can beat Skanderborg-Aarhus."
FTC right wing Bence Imre: "It won’t be an easy task against Flensburg, they already won the group, but I’m sure they will want to win. There is no such thing as a first or second line for them, both are very strong, so we are concentrating on our game, we will do our best, and hope that the result turns out well."
Hannes Jón Jónsson, Alpla HC Hard coach: “In our 14th and last game in the EHF European League we want to say a proper goodbye by showing a good performance. It was an incredibly valuable experience for all of us and I'm sure everyone will benefit greatly from it. What is more, we would like to confirm that the ALPLA HC Hard and thus, Handball Austria belong in this competition. Despite the clear defeat in the first leg, we're going 'all in' tomorrow. Anything is possible in our arena and with our fans behind us.”
Francisco Costa, centre back, Sporting CP: "To get that first place of the group is one of our goals for the season, in a very balanced group. We know we're going to face a very strong team. It was a very difficult match for us, last November, when we met them. We have a had a few very intense matches in the last few weeks, but we need to overcame the fact that we feel a bit tired, I'm sure our mind and desire to win will help us to forget the pain. For us, the chance of qualifying in first is a prize for what we have been doing all season. It's going to be a special match, here, at home, with our supporters."
15:50
One player who is looking forward to tonight's game in Pelister is line player Zharko Peshevski. Peshevski played for Motor for a year and now faces his old team in a crunch match to decide the last Last 16 ticket in the group. Pelister won the reverse fixture, but Peshevski says Pelister are not underestimating Motor's strong squad. Read more from him here .
15:30
So, do you want to know what could happen this evening? We put it all together for you in a handy guide.
The key groups are groups B and D, where Last 16 tickets can still be won or lost, although many teams in all four groups are hoping to get the best possible rankings through tonight's results.
In group B, the race for the Last 16 is between FTC and PAUC. FTC has the better chance - if they draw or win they are through. PAUC need to beat Benidorm with a big margin and hope FTC lose in order to gain points and have the better goal difference.
In group D, it's easy: Pelister are through if they win or draw (and can also finish third if Irun lose); Motor are through with a win.
15:00
In just two hours the last match day of the EHF European League Men group phase begins, as we go to Hungary where Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem host SL Benfica.
PAUC, FTC, HC Eurofarm Pelister and HC Motor are all still hoping they can progress to the Last 16, but there are only two tickets available. Stick with us as we find out who will grab them!
To start things off, here's the essential round preview, and the schedule.
