DAY REVIEW: Veszprém and Paris complete quarter-finals

• Mikita Vailupau was Veszprém’s top scorer again in the all-Hungarian duel against Szeged.
• Veszprém missed the 40-goal mark, which they crossed five times in the group phase, by one goal.
• Paris Saint Germain made it to their 11^th consecutive quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League
• Nikola Karabatic is still in the race for his fourth EHF Champions League trophy with the fourth different club, but has a high hurdle ahead on PSG’s way to Cologne in his last season.

Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN) vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) 39:32 (19:15)

Veszprém win 76:62 on aggregate 

For the 22nd time in their 29th EHF Champions League season, Veszprém made it to the quarter-finals. And like in 2023, the way to get there was finally an easy one, with two clear wins against their domestic rivals. One week after winning the first match 37:30, the margin was again seven goals on home ground. After an aggregate result of +18 goals in the 2023 play-offs, now it was 14 goals in favour of the four-time Champions League finalists.

Veszprém had a flying start and kept the distance constantly at four goals until the break. Szeged was more stable than last week, but could not stop the fast-break goals of the hosts. Like in the reverse fixture, when he netted seven times, right-wing Mikita Vailupau was the top scorer again, this time with eight strikes, like Miguel Martin on Szeged’s side. Now Veszprém will face Aalborg Handbold in the quarter-finals – and hope for their eighth ticket to the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne.

Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) 34:33 (18:15)

PSG win 55:45 on aggregate

Like in the reverse fixture, Orlen Wisla Plock showed a great fight. However, the chances of advancing were quite low after the 26:30 result at home. With an 8:6 lead, the Polish side had reduced the deficit to just two goals, but that moment served as a wake-up call for Paris. A 7:1 run, resulting in a 13:10 lead, was propelled by goals from former Wisla player Kamil Syprzak and French international Elohim Prandi, who finished with nine strikes. The largest lead in the first half was five goals at 18:13, but Plock returned from the dressing room with renewed vigor. They later closed the gap to 19:21 and 27:28, fueled by the firepower of Przemyslaw Krajewski, the top scorer of his side with eight goals. However, it was Abel Serdio Guntin who leveled the score to 30:30. Finally, David Balaguer's eighth goal sealed the 34:33 victory in the closely fought encounter.

Photos: Roland Peka (Veszprém), Laurene Valroff (PSG)