Group B results

News

Ahead of a break that will last through to February 2019, the Velux EHF Champions League held its last round for the year this week. Thanks to their 38-28 win over Skjern, Paris Saint-Germain Handball are in an excellent position in Group B.

Flensburg - Szeged: 27-25

Last Wednesday, Flensburg and Szeged (who had beaten Les Rouge et Bleu a few days earlier) got Velux EHF Champions League Round 10 going. Consistent in the Bundesliga but hot and cold in the Champions League, the German side proved that they still have plenty of fight left in them. Norwegian left-winger Magnus Joendal starred with 8 from 10 against the Hungarian outfit, while his aside also defended well, with Torbjoern Bergerud (see below) pulling off a superb save. The win takes Flensburg to third, while for Szeged it was a case of missing the opportunity to go provisionally ahead of Paris, who are now three points clear atop Group B thanks to their win on Saturday.

 

Zagreb - Zaporozhye: 27-25

Matches in this group have become notoriously difficult to predict, especially when relegation-threatened sides meet. Before throw-off, Zaporozhye had a one-point lead over hosts Zagreb, and while the match was neck and neck for a long period - right through to the final minutes (58’: 25-23) - it was experienced Croatian left-winger Zlatko Horvat who clinched the win with a very late double. The result takes Zagreb to fifth while the Ukrainians dip towards the drop, with only their superior goal difference keeping them above Celje.

 

Celje - Nantes: 29-29

The H have plenty of regrets after their trip to Celje. After leading at the break (30’: 15-19) and well into the second half (40': 20-27), Nantes saw their lead disintegrate thanks mainly to a lack of precision in their finishing in the final 15 minutes. In fact, the goal scored by Romaric Gullo 145 minutes from time, which put Thierry Anti's men five goals to the good (46’: 24-29) was their very last strike of the match. Meanwhile William Accambray and his teammates made the most of this goal drought and saw their unstinting efforts rewarded in the final minute, when Tilen Kodrin tied it up. The sides remain separated by two points.

 

Velux EHF Champions League Round 11 fixtures:

- Nantes - Paris: Wednesday 6 February 2019, (throw-off time not yet scheduled)

- Zaporozhye - Flensburg: Sunday 10 February 2019, 17:00

- Zagreb - Skjern: Sunday 10 February 2019, 17:00

- Celje - Szeged: Sunday 10 February 2019, 17:00

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)