EHF Champions League: Matchday 9 round-up

News

Beaten at home by Berlin (34-37), Paris Saint-Germain handball have dropped out of the top two places that qualify directly for the EHF Champions League quarter-finals. But nothing is lost yet. Here's our look back on the rest of the Group A Matchday 9 clashes.

Sporting take advantage, Veszprém roll on, Plock take off

The week's best performance came from Sporting. When they took on Bucharest, the Portuguese side had the chance to leapfrog Paris (who tasted defeat in a parallel fixture), and they made the most of the opportunity with another big win on home soil (34-25). The Costa brothers put in another fine performance, finishing the match with eight goals apiece. For their part, Veszprém surprised no-one when they took on Pelister in their Veszprém Arena, pulling out all the stops to extend their lead atop the standings against a side struggling to escape the drop zone (33-26). Last but not least, Plock won the game they could not afford to lose to Fredericia. Trailing the Danes by a single point before kick-off, the Poles pulled off a coup by winning big (30-21), overtaking their direct rivals and moving out of the play-off places.

The Table

Veszprém are now three points clear of nearest rivals Sporting, who have climbed to second place, directly qualifying for the quarter-finals, but are only one point clear of Les Rouge et Bleu. Behind them, Berlin and Bucharest are level on 10 points and appear to have taken a major step towards the last 16. Meanwhile, the battle for the last ticket to the next round is shaping up to be a very tight one. Just one point separates Plock and Pelister from Fredericia.

The next round

Next Thursday, Les Rouge et Bleu will once again leave their home base to travel to Romania and face Dinamo Bucharest. The objective is simple in theory, but more difficult in practice: win to try and regain second place. To do that, they will have to hope Sporting slip up in Berlin later in the day. The day before, there is a crucial match between Pelister and Plock; the winner could take a major step away from the play-off places. Especially as bottom-placed Fredericia face leaders Veszprém.

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