By Peter Bruun

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HBC Nantes

Not only was it impressive to witness how the French side managed to turn the tables and eliminate Rhein-Neckar Löwen.  After all the German side were leading by two goals (34:32) following the first leg in Mannheim.

The way Nantes came back before halftime after trailing 7:3 was outstanding and they continued to resist one Lion comeback after another in the second half of the match.  It all spoke volumes about Thierry Anti´s team high moral.

Flop

HC Meshkov Brest

Nobody expected Meshkov Brest turning the tide in Flensburg after losing 30:28 at home.

However, a bit more resistance would have been in order considering a match in the Round of Last 16 of the VELUX EHF  Champions League.

But, from the get go the team from Belarus did not look like they seriously believed in their chances and as a consequence they made Flensburg’s job easy.

Players of the Match

Romain Lagarde – Nantes

Next season, Romain Lagard will be joining Rhein-Neckar Löwen, but on Saturday he inflicted quite some pain, when he scored the goal that made the difference, twelve seconds before the final buzzer.

The 22-year-old left back was outstanding providing eight goals on 11 attempts.

Alex Dujshebaev – Kielce

Kielce’s Spanish right back delivered six goals on nine attempts and numerous fine assists, playing an important role, as the Polish champion changed a 33:33 draw in the first leg against Motor Zaporozhye into a quarter-final ticket.

Veszprém’s Wings

Veszprém did what they had to do, but not more than that, as they eliminated the Portuguese underdogs from Sporting Lisbon 35:29 at home.

However, the wing players of the mighty Hungarian team provided some kind of a show.

Not only did the output of the four wingers account for more than half of Veszprém’s result, they also spoiled the audience with some spectacular individual performances, such as Dejan Manaskov´s behind-the-back goal in the first half or Manuel Strlek´s demonstration in the second half, when he scored seven goals on seven attempts.

Other Results

Pick Szeged vs Wisla Plock 23:16 – Szeged 45:36 on aggregate

HC Vardar vs HC Zagreb 32:30 – Vardar 59:48 on aggregate

What’s Next?

The quarter-finals are scheduled for the end of April and the beginning of May and shape up as follows:

HBC Nantes vs Barca Lassa

PGE Vive Kielce vs Paris Saint-Germain

SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Telekom Veszprém

HC Vardar vs Pick Szeged