Three more heavyweights are through in the EHF Champions League, but the biggest statement of the night came from a Danish side.
Barça, Füchse Berlin and Sporting CP secured their places in the main round with victories on Thursday, while SAH – Aarhus continued their impressive European campaign by beating Montpellier Handball for the second time.
Barça cruised to a 36–22 away win against Dinamo București, extending their winning streak in the competition to 20 consecutive matches. The defending champions led 20–11 at half-time and never looked back, with Timothy N’Guessan scoring six goals.
Berlin had to work harder in Portugal but eventually defeated FC Porto 36–33. Tim Freihöfer was the standout performer with 15 goals, while Mathias Gidsel added eight as the German side pulled away in the second half.
Sporting CP made light work of ICK Szeged, winning 35–28 to book their main round ticket. Francisco and Martim Costa combined for 14 goals to lead the Portuguese side.
The night’s biggest surprise came in France, where Aarhus claimed a commanding 38–30 away victory over Montpellier. Goalkeeper Magnus Pedersen made 16 saves as the Danish side strengthened their position in the group and left Montpellier under increasing pressure.