Sublime evening in the Champions League! Magdeburg, the trophy holder, beaten by 7 goals » Nantes, epic comeback with Veszprem
Article by Adrian Jitea – Published Friday, 06 March 2026, 00:08 / Updated Friday, 06 March 2026 00:12
Thursday offered two sublime matches in the handball Champions League groups. Magdeburg, the trophy holders, were stunned by Barcelona in the second half, 29-36. Nantes completed an epic comeback against Veszprem, triumphing 33-31.
Magdeburg and Barcelona, two teams that do not plan to miss the Final Four, dueled for the supremacy of group B. The difference between them was one point, the Germans had won the round in Spain, score 22-21.
Today, the deployment was different. The goalkeepers were not as inspired, and in the cabins it entered a perfect balance, 16-16. The tie persisted until 29-29, inexplicably what followed. Bennet Wiegert, the genius on the bench of the Bundesliga leader, couldn't find any more solutions. Just desperate throws, easy prey for Emil Nielsen. The Catalans scored 7 times in a row and won 36-29.
Barcelona has a point over Magdeburg, and in the last round they will receive the visit of the already eliminated Eurofarm Pelister. Carlos Ortega's band will go to the quarters from first place!
PHOTO: EHF
Nantes, the return of the season with Veszprem!
We move to Group A in France to face other giants who would like to visit Cologne on June 13th and 14th.
Nantes, the bronze medalists of the previous edition, have some of the strongest fans in world handball. The hall is still full today, but the game did not work in the first half, one won by Veszprém, score 18-15.
The Hungarians, led from the bench by Xavi Pascual, broke away to 6 goals in the last quarter of an hour of the dispute. From that moment, the goalkeeper Ivan Pesic he went into a trance. He made pitch after pitch, from all angles and by all means. He finished with 16 saves, a percentage of almost 50%.
Ivan Pesic
Odriozola didn't miss anything, 7 goals from 7 shots, the star Aymeric Minne took shots from a long distance. From 22-28, it ended 33-31, with 5902 spectators singing on their feet.
Nantes and Veszprém are tied ahead of the decisive round, each with 14 points, certain of qualifying for the play-off for the last eight. Both will have complicated matches against the top two. The Hungarians receive the visit of Aalborg, the French travel to Berlin, for the duel with Mathias Gidsel.
PHOTO: EHF
