EHF Champions League: Matchday 5 results

Veszprém get a scare, Sporting remain unbeaten, Plock off the mark

As the weeks go by, Fredericia are confirming their improvement in this group phase. Having already put up a fine fight against Paris last week (38-30), the only newcomers to this 2024-2025 edition came within a whisker of a monumental exploit in Veszprém (34-32). Leading at the end of the first quarter, the Danes then stalled at the end of the first half (30': 16-12). But far from giving up, Fredericia dug deep to make up a seven-goal deficit in the space of ten minutes, making for an unbearable final stretch. But it was all in vain. Buoyed by Nedim Remili's nine goals, Veszprém prevailed after a breathtaking final minute.

The capital club's next opponents, Berlin, came very close to catching Sporting (35-33). Leading for the first twenty minutes, the Germans were able to look to the clinical finishing of Jerry Tollbring, who converted all seven of his attempts, to surprise the hosts from the outset. However, the Lisbon side then stepped up a gear and went into the break with a two-goal lead. The group leaders thought they had done the hard part with 15 minutes remaining after scoring four unanswered goals, but Berlin redoubled their intensity to level the scores in the final ten minutes. Jaron Siewert's men had one last chance to equalise ten seconds from the buzzer, but a slip by Nils Lichtlein extinguished any German hopes and Sporting delivered the coup de grâce on the counter-attack.

After four straight defeats to start their European campaign, Wisla Plock finally managed to stop the bleeding. Against Pelister, the Poles attacked all-out to give their opponents no hope (13': 9-2). A week after their 24-24 win over Sporting, Pelister fell back into their old ways in Plock (26-18). Poor offensively, the Macedonians relied heavily on their two goalkeepers. However, Nikola Mitrevski's seven saves were not enough against a Plock side driven by an in-form Lovro Mihic (8 goals from 9 attempts).

THE TABLE

With four wins and a draw, Sporting remain top of Group A. Along with Barcelona, the Portuguese side are the only team still unbeaten in the Champions League this season. Behind them are Veszprém and our Rouge et Bleus, who share the same record of four wins and one defeat. The capital club are continuing their upward climb, and have now broken clear of Füchse Berlin. The Germans are hot on the Parisians' heels, however, sitting fourth with six points following their second defeat of the season, in Portugal. That's the same record as Dinamo Bucharest. However, the Romanians still have a solid lead over Plock, who sit sixth after picking up their first two points against Pelister. The win lifted them above the Macedonian outfit and out of the red zone. Finally, Fredericia prop up the table as the only team still stuck on zero points after five rounds in the Champions League group stage.

Matchday 6 fixtures

Next week, Plock go in search of a second consecutive win when they visit bottom-placed Fredericia, who are steadily improving. Meanwhile, Dinamo Bucharest have the tough task of trying to end a run of two consecutive defeats when they host unbeaten leaders Sporting. Finally, Veszprém travel to Northern Macedonia to complete Matchday 6. The Macedonians will be looking for a second consecutive home win after holding off Sporting on Matchday 4.

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Une publication partagée par Paris Saint-Germain Handball (@psghandofficiel)

(Credits: E. Renard/Team Pics/PSG)