Day review 2: Füchse, Löwen win top clashes to close round 3
Round 3 of the group matches in the EHF European League Men brought more wins for the German sides, as Rhein-Neckar Löwen and Füchse Berlin followed into TSV Hannover-Burgdorf's and SG Flensburg-Handewitt’s footsteps and delivered their third wins in as many matches in the competition.
Reigning champions Füchse stood tall, in spite of their fatigue from the IHF Super Globe adventure in Saudi Arabia last week, and sealed a 33:30 win over Dinamo Bucuresti. Löwen made it three out of three in a goal fest against Benfica, after Niclas Vest Kirkeløkke scored the winning goal with his 14th of the evening in the last second: 36:35.
From the Top 5 Matches
Group A: Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) 35:36 (15:19)
While the top goal scorer of the EHF European League Men before this round, Löwen’s back Juri Knorr, scored only four goals, it was Niclas Vest Kirkeløkke who shined for the German side as he helped his team to a last-gasp 36:35 win on a fast break in the last second.
Benfica were down four goals with 12 minutes to go but had a two-goal advantage in the 56th minute. Then they failed to score on a six-on-five attack in the dying seconds, as Kirkeløkke scored with a big dose of luck to bring his side’s third win in three matches. Benfica lost their second of three matches played so far, with a main round berth now a serious threat in a tough and balanced group, with Nantes also zooming in for a place in the next phase.
We are really happy with the result in the end. We played very good in the first 45 minutes but then they played 7x6 and scored every attack they had. We are lucky to get the win.
Group G: Füchse Berlin (GER) vs Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) 33:30 (16:11)
On Saturday, Füchse played the semi-final of the IHF Super Globe, beating Barça in extra time. On Sunday, they went through extra time again, in the final against eventual winners SC Magdeburg. But on Tuesday evening, there was no fatigue for the reigning champions of the EHF European League Men, which delivered a flawless performance against Dinamo Bucuresti and made a statement of intent. Füchse led by as many as nine goals, with left wing Tim Freihöfer having his best match in a European competition so far by scoring 10 goals, but Dinamo managed to cut their losses into half, as Füchse eventually sealed a 33:30 win.
I am very happy with my team tonight and of course for playing 60 minutes. This was fun, but also really hard. I had some pauses (at the IHF Super Globe) in Saudi Arabia, so I could give everything tonight.
In case you missed it...
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in their 40:27 win against Izvidac, Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc Handball scored at least 40 goals in a match in an European competition for the first time since 2012, when they reached that milestone against another Bosnian opponent, Bosna Gas Sarajevo
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for the second season in a row, Nexe secured a three-game winning streak to start their campaign after their 39:28 win against Povazska Bystrica, as the Croatian side are one of the seven teams to stay with a perfect record midway through the group matches
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aged 40, Andre Schmid became the top goal scorer of the competition this season after his 14-goal outing in HC Kriens-Luzern’s loss against Górnik Zabrze, 28:32
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backed by nine goals from Gustaf Wedberg and the top goal scorer of the M17 EHF EURO 2022, Oli Mittun, IK Sävehof secured their largest-ever win in the group matches of an European competition, 41:20, against Pfadi Winterthur
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a 3:0 run from Kadetten Schaffhausen early in the second half turned the game on its head against Lovcen-Cetinje, as Sandro Obranovic scored 10 goals and Odinn Thor Rikhardsson added six goals, with the Swiss side taking their second win of the season, 29:26
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dominating from start to finish, Skjern Håndbold secured their second win in a row: 32:25 against ABC Braga, bolstering their credentials for a main round berth as they have now leapfrogged the Portuguese side in the standings
- see all results from the group matches in round 3 and read the review from the matches that started at 18:34 CET
Honestly, I felt that ABC didn't play a very good match and I think they can play much better than this. We were able to control the match through fast breaks and take the lead and the victory.
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