EHF Champions League: Matchday 7 review

Veszprém stay on top, Bucharest roll on, historic night for Pelister

After lost just once since the start of the competition, Veszprém confirmed their form in Plock. The Hungarians came up against a Polish side, who have not necessarily been rewarded for their valiant performances in this European campaign. Once again, the home side put up a good fight, but they succumbed in the closing stages (24-27). This was despite an exceptional performance from Miha Zarabec, who scored ten goals from 11 attempts.

Let there be no doubt about it, Bucharest will be pushing hard to qualify for the quarter-finals. For the moment, the Romanians are the only team keeping pace with Veszprém and Paris. This week, Dinamo struck another blow with an impressive win over Berlin. Despite trailing at the break (30': 18-19), the Red and Whites put in a perfect second half, eventually winning by seven goals (38-31). It was a performance that once again put the spotlight on the Romanian forward line, the best in the competition alongside that of Les Rouge et Bleu (226 goals).

In the bottom-of-the-table duel between Pelister and Fredericia, the Northern Macedonians were looking to make it an historic night by notching a first-ever victory on the European stage. And they did it! The encounter was no walk in the park for the visitors, but they did manage to make the difference in the last 30 minutes (23-25). Nikola Mitrevski obviously had a hand in this success; with 15 saves, Pelister's last line of defence made life difficult for the Danish attack.

THE TABLE

Veszprém's win keeps them top of Group A, with the same number of points as the capital club but a better goal difference. Next are Dinamo Bucharest, just two points behind the leading duo. Despite a very good start, Sporting and Berlin look a little off the pace in the race to qualify directly for the quarter-finals. So, at the end of the first half og the group stage campaign, Pelister, Plock and Fredericia are all likely to be in contention for a place in the last 16. Anything is still possible at the bottom of the table, with just one point separating the three sides.

Matchday 8 fixtures

After the break, we will see a matchday that mirrors the one we have just witnessed. Paris will travel to Sporting in a bid to extend their lead over a direct rival, while Veszprém will play host to Plock. The other two fixtures, between Berlin and Bucharest and Pelister and Fredericia, will be crucial to the future of these four teams, given the high stakes involved.

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