Füchse, Aalborg lock up quarter-final spots as Veszprém lose MOTW in Kielce

• Kielce secured a place in the play-offs and came within a point of Veszprém in the group A standings
• Alex Dujshebaev was named Player of the Match in Kielce's dramatic MOTW win (36:35) against Veszprém, with the Spanish right back scoring six goals
• Füchse goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev made a stunning 21 saves for a 50 per cent save rate, playing an important role in helping Berlin secure the points in Bucharest
• the result eliminated Dinamo from the race to the play-offs
• Nantes line player Nicolas Tournat put in an impressive performance against Sporting and was the match's top scorer with nine goals from as many attempts
• Plock goalkeeper Torbjørn Bergerud saved three penalties from three different Pelister players in the first half, as the Polish side went on to win the match 28:25

MOTW: Industria Kielce (POL) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN) 36:35 (17:19)

H2H: 7-2-12
Top scorers: Alex Dujshebaev 6/8, Piotr Jarosiewicz 6/6 (Industria Kielce); Ahmed Hesham 9/14 (One Veszprém HC)

Veszprém needed to win in order to keep their slim hopes of direct entry into the quarter-finals alive. But in a fast-paced start to the Match of the Week, Kielce rushed into an early five-goal lead (8:3) in the opening 10 minutes. However, a five-goal run followed with Luka Cindrić scoring back-to-back goals to put Veszprém level again (11:11) in the 18th minute. The momentum swung on Xavier Pascual's squad, and it was not long before the Hungarian champions established control, allowing them to take a two-goal (17:19) lead at half-time.

Almost nothing could separate the clubs after the break, as Industria Kielce displayed character and quality to mount a comeback from Veszprém's four-goal lead (21:17) as Talant Dujshebaev's squad never gave up. With that being said, Szymon Szymon's double in the 57th minute (35:34) put Kielce in the driver's seat, setting up a dramatic finale. In the closing stages, Piotr Jarosiewicz converted a penalty past Mikael Appelgren before Ahmed Hesham rushed Veszprém's final attack with a shot from long range that failed to hit the target. While the result ended Veszprém's quarter-final hopes for now, Kielce formally confirmed their place in the play-offs and celebrated the important win with their passionate supporters.

GROUP A

Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Füchse Berlin (GER) 21:27 (12:13)

H2H: 1-1-6
Top scorers: Branko Vujović 5/9 (Dinamo Bucuresti); Mathias Gidsel 8/11 (Füchse Berlin)

With Füchse chasing a win to seal a quarter-final ticket and Dinamo aiming to boost their slim play-off hopes, the stakes were high in Bucharest. The freshly named 2025 IHF Player of the Year, Mathias Gidsel, scored four of the German club's opening five goals to set the tone early. However, Paulo Pereira's squad fought bravely and did not let the star-studded Foxes build a big advantage ahead of half-time with Lasse Andersson's goal being the difference maker (13:12).

After the break, and helped by Dejan Milosavljev who finished the match on 21 saves, Füchse limited the hosts to only a couple of goals scored until the 40th minute, which enabled them to take a four-goal lead (18:14), which ultimately proved to be crucial. The Romanian champions could not follow Berlin's tempo and the gap reached seven goals (25:18) in the 52nd minute. Füchse celebrated a deserved win and direct progress to the quarter-finals. The defeat means that Dinamo are now officially out of the race for the play-offs.

HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) 38:27 (21:16)

H2H: 4-0-0
Top scorers: Nicolas Tournat 9/9 (HBC Nantes); Martim Costa 8/16 (Sporting Clube de Portugal)

With Nantes boasting a chance to go level with Sporting in the standings, Grégory Cojean's squad wasted no time in beginning the match on the front foot and Kauldi Odriozola put the hosts by four goals up (7:3) in the 7th minute. The Portuguese champions hit back immediately, equaling (10:10) the result 10 minutes later, but Aymeric Minne orchestrated HBC Nantes to overcome the crisis as the playmaker scored six goals in the first half, and the French runners-up took a five-goal lead (21:16) at the break.

Not much changed in the second half, as the Lisbon-based club simply could not cope with HBC Nantes' intensity and quality, and despite the coach Ricardo Costa trying different approaches both in defence and attack, the hosts had answers for each and every challenge and deservedly took the points in the end with an impressive performance.

GROUP B

HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) 25:28 (9:13)

H2H: 1-0-3
Top scorers: Domen Tajnik 4/4, Petar Atanasijevikj 4/4 (HC Eurofarm Pelister); Mitja Janc 7/11 (Orlen Wisla Plock)

In a low-scoring first half, Torbjørn Bergerud was almost invincible between Orlen Wisla Plock's posts, as the Macedonian champions could not find a way past the excellent goalkeeper until the sixth minute. Additionally, Mitja Janc starred at the other end of the court. Despite Pelister managing to narrow the difference to a single goal (9:8) in the 24th minute with a four-goal run, Bergerud stepped up once again and the Norwegian made nine saves (50 per cent of save efficiency) until the half-time break.

Orlen Wisla Plock continued to dominate in the second half, as the advantage reached six goals (20:14) in the 43rd minute, and even though the hosts came close again in the 49th minute (20:19), they could not capitalise and mount a comeback. Finally, the visitors took the points in the full Boro Churlevski hall in Bitola and they stand firmly in third place in group B with a play-off place in the bag.

main image © Mihai Neacsu