Füchse win thriller in Paris, Sporting too strong for Dinamo

• the 33:26 against Eurofarm was Veszprém's sixth straight win in the competition
• eight goals from Miha Zarabec lifted Orlen Wisla Plock to their second win in the current competition, 30:21 over Fredericia Håndbold Klub
• thanks to this victory, Plock, who were bottom of the group, climbed to the sixth position
• the Costa brothers, Francisco and Martim, netted eight times each, propelling Sporting to a nine-goal win against Dinamo Bucuresti
• in an exciting match in Paris, Lasse Andersson's 13-goal outing helped Berlin to down Paris Saint-Germain

GROUP A
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs Fredericia Håndbold Klub (DEN) 30:21 (14:9)

A 28:25 win in the reverse match in Round 6 was a historic result for Fredericia, as it was their first ever victory in the European club competitions. However, on Thursday Plock took a convincing revenge at home and leapfrogged their Danish rivals in the table. The opening 20 minutes were very tight, but then the hosts used a 5:0 run between the 17th and 25th minutes, pulling clear at 11:7. At the break, Plock had a five-goal advantage, and they continued to dominate after the restart, as Miha Zarabec rose to prominence, scoring six of his eight goals in the second half. In contrast, none of Fredericia's players netted more than four times, as Plock relied on a solid defence. With six minutes to go, the Polish side enjoyed a double-digit lead, 28:18, before Fredericia slightly slashed the gap.

Veszprém HC (HUN) vs HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) 33:26 (20:11)

Just like in the reverse fixture, when Veszprém won 30:23, the Hungarian heavyweights claimed a seven-goal victory and consolidated their lead in Group A. The home side started the game with a 5:0 run, spurred by three goals from Bjarki Mar Elisson and two from Ludovic Fabregas, before Bogdan Radivojevic scored Eurofarm's opening goal in the sixth minute. Veszprém, went on to fully dominate on the court, and as their goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales boasted a 44 per cent save efficiency, the hosts were in front by nine goals at half-time. In the second half, the match became more balanced, and although the Hungarian team had less fire power, their win was never in danger. Fabregas and Sergei Mark Kosorotov became their best scorers with seven goals each, and the hosts had no problems clinching their sixth straight win in the competition.

MOTW: Sporting CP (POR) vs Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) 34:25 (20:11)

In the previous meeting of these teams, Sporting suffered their first defeat in the current tournament, 33:29. But on home court in Lisbon, the Portuguese team took an impressive revenge, which helped them to climb to the second position. Sporting played an excellent first half, boasting a 83 per cent shot efficiency, and a string of saves from Andre Kristensen helped them to a 5:0 run between minutes 8 and 16, securing a 10:4 lead. Francisco Costa scored six goals from six attempts before the break, and the home team's nine-goal advantage at the break left little doubt about the outcome. Early in the second half, Dinamo's goalkeeper Vladimir Cupara delivered a few saves, but his team still had a mountain to climb. At Sporting, the Costa brothers led by example, as both Francisco and Martim ended the match with eight goals. Kristensen ultimately made 16 saves for a 41 per cent efficiency, as his team clinched a well-deserved win.

Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs Füchse Berlin (GER) 34:37 (18:19)

After taking revenge on PSG for a defeat in the reverse fixture at home (40:38), Füchse climbed to the fourth place in the group and stayed in fight for the top two finish, which will secure an early quarter-final ticket. It was a very balanced and exciting match, in which both sides drew level numerous times, and in the first half, no team could pull clear by more than two goals. Berlin were the first to create a three-goal gap soon after the restart, 23:20 in the 37th minute, yet a few goals from Kamil Syprzak and Mathieu Grebille helped PSG to turn the tide and pull in front 27:26 midway through the second half. The pendulum swung for a while, as the sides were level at 32:32 with five minutes to go, yet Lasse Andersson netted four times in the remaining time, increasing his tally to 13 goals, and Füchse celebrated a victory.

Main photo © Team Pics / PSG