Around Europe, the first round of the Last 16 was played on Tuesday evening, and it was teams from four different countries that walked away with victories.
It was an eventful Tuesday night, to say the least, where the expected balance of power was turned upside down in several arenas. While some heavy favorites faltered and found themselves beaten by heroic home underdogs, others took the opportunity.
Battle in Kristianstad
In Swedish Kristianstad, Croatian side Nexe came to visit in what would turn out to be a very close match. The home team started strong and led 21–18 at halftime, following effective play by the young but experienced Axel Månsson.
After the break, however, things got tougher for the Swedes, who won the Swedish Cup gold this past weekend. Nexe were superior in their attacking game, and the home team struggled to stop them. After just eight minutes, the visitors had turned the match around and taken the lead at 25–24.
Photo: RK Nexe
The teams then went goal-for-goal for a long stretch of the second half. But with ten minutes remaining—when the score was completely level—the visiting side Nexe proved to be a level above. The visitors’ giant Tin Lučin continued to deliver in the final minutes and was the player who contributed most to the Croatians’ victory.
The final score was 36–34 to Nexe, and the return leg awaits in Croatia in one week.
Flensburg win despite missing star players
Unusually, Flensburg are also playing in the Last 16. The team missed out on direct advancement to the quarterfinals as they did not win their group, as they have done many times before. Player Marko Grgić shared his thoughts on the club’s website:
– It’s our own fault that we now have to play twice more. That means more travel and more effort.
Photo: Jonas Ljungdahl / BILDBYRÅN
The German powerhouse Flensburg Handewitt traveled to Denmark to face Skanderborg AGF in their first Europa League Last 16 match. However, it was an injury-plagued German team that crossed over to the neighboring country, missing many star players. Among those absent were Lukas Jørgensen (out for the rest of the season), Simon Pytlick (abdominal injury), and Niclas Kirkeløkke (illness).
But the injuries to the stars would not affect Flensburg. Skanderborg kept up well long into the match and managed to reduce the deficit with ten minutes left to play. However, when the reduction came, the Danish play collapsed—particularly their 7-on-6 game—which gave the Germans the chance to pull away.
The match ended 32–38 to Flensburg, and the return leg will be played in Germany in one week.
Stellar Sebastian Frandsen gives Fredericia the win
For Danish Fredericia HK, it was a home victory against German MT Melsungen. Fredericia delivered a strong performance and secured a good starting position ahead of the return leg in Germany next week.
Photo: Fredericia HK
The home team took control early in the match and led throughout. Already at halftime, they held a three-goal lead at 18–15—much thanks to a stellar Sebastian Frandsen in the FHK goal.
Fredericia was then able to maintain their pressure and extend the lead in the second half. When the final whistle blew, it was the home team who stood as Tuesday night’s winners as the match ended 35–29.
Rout in Montpellier – ran over Elverum
Montpellier HB certainly made the most of their home-court advantage when Norwegian Elverum visited on Tuesday, and it was a home side that showed no mercy. The visiting team Elverum wrote on their own website after the match how they received a “lesson in handball” from the French.
The home team took charge immediately. With an extremely aggressive defense and lightning-fast counter-attacks, they forced Elverum into technical errors. When the first half was finished, the difference in class between the teams on this day was evident.
Photo: Montpellier Handball
Montpellier went into the halftime break with a 20–13 lead, and Elverum struggled to find solutions against Montpellier’s physical and tactical superiority.
In the second half, the visitors tried to adjust their game, but Montpellier continued to pour in goals. The final result was 36–25—a major advantage for the French team ahead of the return leg in one week.