Füchse win thriller in Lisbon to snatch seventh win, Aalborg save a point in Kielce

• Kielce put an end to Aalborg’s winning streak, but missed the victory at the last second (32:32)
• Nantes did not experience much problems to take the best on Dinamo Bucarest (35:28)
• in a game that was decided in the last seconds, Berlin took the points against Sporting in Lisbon (38:37)
• the competition’s best scorer, Mathias Gidsel, scored another 12 goals for Füchse, while Kiko Costa also netted 12 times for Sporting
• thanks to a strong second half, Barça took their second consecutive win against Wisla Plock (30:24)

Industria Kielce (POL) vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) 32:32 (16:15)

H2H : 6-2-3
Top scorers: Alex Dujshebaev (Kielce) 7 goals, Juri Knorr (Aalborg) 7 goals

After six minutes, things looked bleak for Aalborg as they had already seen three of its shots stopped by Kielce’s goalkeeper Klemen Fermin and trailed by three goals, having scored just once. But a well-timed timeout by coach Simon Dahl helped turn the tide. Although Szymon Sicko continued to find solutions for the hosts, Juri Knorr injected fresh energy into the visitors, helping them level the score with eight minutes left before halftime. Only a final, stunning goal from Alex Dujshebaev kept Kielce ahead at the break.
The Polish team stayed in control for the next ten minutes, but Buster Juul-Lassen finished off a fastbreak to give Aalborg its first lead of the evening in the 41st minute. With the Dujshebaev brothers and Artsem Karalek piling on the goals, Kielce even overcame Jorge Maqueda’s red card. Aleks Vlah and Alex Dujshebaev were clinical, but with Aalborg still in the fight, everything came down to the final play. Niklas Landin stopped Karalek’s last attempt, and Juul-Lassen netted the equaliser on the buzzer — keeping the Danish side unbeaten.

HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) 35:28 (20:13)

H2H : 3-0-0
Top scorers : Noam Leopold (Nantes) 9 goals, Iosif Andrei Buzle (Dinamo Bucuresti) 5 goals

With a couple of saves from Nacho Biosca and as many Noam Leopold fastbreaks, the hosts took a first five-goals advantage within the first 15 minutes, and remained confidently ahead for the rest of the first half. Despite Tom Pelayo and Yoav Lumbroso both scoring three in the first half, keeping the visitors in the game, this clearly was not enough to make Nantes shake, as the French side took a seven-goal lead to the locker room. And it did not even take its foot off the pedal after the break. Not conceding any goal between minutes 31 and 40, Nantes increased their advantage to reach the 10-goal mark, as Dinamo were left without reaction. If Dinamo made the most of their opponents opening their bench for the last 10 minutes, coming back within seven at the buzzer, Nantes had secured their two points a long time ago.

Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) vs Füchse Berlin (GER) 37:38 (20:19)

H2H : 3-0-3
Top scorers : Kiko Costa (Sporting) 12 goals, Mathias Gidsel (Berlin) 12 goals

The expected offensive feast is exactly what Sporting and Füchse delivered on Thursday night. At the break, both sides had scored a combined 39 goals, and the visitors were only ahead by one. With Kiko Costa at the wheel, the hosts had been three goals ahead a little bit earlier, as Sporting were scoring on every opportunity. The arrival of Lasse Ludwig between the posts for Berlin levelled things up, especially since Mathias Gidsel and Lasse Andersson were finding their way past Sporting goalkeepers. It remained open until the final whistle, as both teams traded goals back and forth. As a result, the two teams were never separated by more than three goals in the second half. Despite Lasse Andersson being directly sent off by the referees, Füchse never got distracted, and two final goals by Gidsel sealed the deal for them. With this win, Berlin got past the halfway point in the group phase undefeated.

GROUP B

Barça (ESP) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) 30:24 (12:12)

H2H : 9-0-1
Top scorers : Aleix Gomez (Barça) 9 goals, Melvyn Richardson (Plock) 5 goals

Playing against your former club is often a source of motivation for players, and Plock’s Melvyn Richardson proved that on his trip to Barcelona. Scoring four in the first 12 minutes of the game, the French right-back kept the visitors within Barça’s reach, even though his teammates did not prove as efficient against Emil Nielsen. But as one left-hander replied to the other, Aleix Gomez scored three straight goals to put the hosts ahead by three for the first time at the 22nd minute. Plock got back on track as Mark Sergei Kosorotov scored three in the first half. As Barça’s goalkeepers Emil Nielsen and Viktor Hallgrilsson gradually took the best on the Plock shooters, the hosts made their advantage grow. Despite playing seven against six, the visitors were never able to come back into the game, conceding their second straight defeat against the Blaugranas.