EHF Champions League: Matchday 13 review

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Beaten at home by a ruthless Veszprém side (33-37), Paris Saint-Germain handball have been relegated to fourth place in Group A, but everything is still to play for as we approach the group stage's final matchday. Here's how things played out on EHF Champions League Matchday 13.

Plock continue to climb, rivals keep up the pressure

In the opening match of the round, Plock confirmed their recent form by overcoming Dinamo Bucharest in the dying moments of a breathless encounter (26-27). Despite trailing by three goals with just seconds left (22-19), the Poles dug deep to clinch their third consecutive victory.

Having won six times in six home matches matches so far this season, Sporting were given a scare by Fredericia on Wednesday evening (29-32) - despite the fact that the Danes had already been eliminated. Playing without pressure, the visitors even took a lead into the break (15-16). However, in a scenario similar to the one the previous week against Paris, the only newcomers in this 2024-2025 edition of the competition paid for their inexperience by cracking in the second half (42': 24-20). The Portuguese thus rounded out a perfect home campaign with a seventh win on front of their fans.

Defeated in Plock last time out, Berlin had to bounce back in their final home game. Against Pelister, the Germans did not falter, recording their biggest win of the season on the continental stage (39-29). Mathias Gidsel and Matthes Langhoff both scored nine goals and once again played a major role in the Foxes' fine performance.

The Table

After beating Fredericia, Sporting took advantage of Paris's defeat against Veszprém to take second place, which qualifies directly for the quarter finals. The capital club is now in fourth place, level on points with Berlin and one point behind the Portuguese. Behind them, Plock not only secured their qualification for the playoffs, but also overtook Dinamo Bucharest thanks to their victory against the Romanians in the opening game of Matchday 13. Despite the defeat, David Davis' men also secured their ticket to the final phase following Pelister's defeat in Berlin on Thursday evening.

Matchday 14 fixtures

Les Rouge et Bleu will therefore face a Pelister side under no pressure next Thursday, the Macedonians having already been eliminated from the race for the playoffs. Raul Gonzalez's men will have to focus on their match above all else, but Parisian fans will undoubtedly have a particular eye on the meeting between Plock and Sporting, which willo be played at the same time. Earlier in the evening, Berlin will travel to Veszprém, already assured of finishing top of Group A, while Dinamo Bucharest will try to boost their confidence in Fredericia in a match with nothing at stake for either team.

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