Vardar stun Nantes in France, Veszprém go 3-0 against Füchse Berlin, Kielce secure TOP 12 spot!
HC Vardar 1961 produced the biggest upset of Round 5 in the EHF Champions League, defeating HBC Nantes 33:27 (16:13) on French soil. The Macedonian champions, who had already lost their chances of reaching the TOP 12, finally celebrated their first victory of the season in impressive fashion. Meanwhile, One Veszprém HC maintained their perfect record with another victory over Füchse Berlin, 39:35 (20:13), completing a remarkable 3-0 run against the German side this season. Industria Kielce also secured their place in the TOP 12 with a hard-fought 32:30 victory over HC Kriens-Luzern in Switzerland.
Vardar finally turned their promising performances into two points after four consecutive defeats, several of which had come in dramatic finishes.
Ivan Čupić’s team controlled the match against Nantes, who had the opportunity to secure qualification for the next stage with a victory. The visitors led 16:13 at halftime and extended their advantage to eight goals during the second half.
Polish goalkeeper Miłosz Wałach was the hero of the night with 17 saves, while Leon Ljevar scored seven goals, Jaka Malus added six, and returning Uroš Mitrović contributed five.
Nantes disappointed their home supporters, with Ihor Turchenko and Luka Perić finishing as the team’s leading scorers with four goals each.
Veszprém once again proved to be an unsolvable puzzle for Füchse Berlin. The Hungarian champions claimed a 39:35 victory, their third success against the German side this season, including their encounter at the IHF Super Globe.
Xavi Pascual’s team delivered a dominant first-half performance, establishing a seven-goal advantage at the break (20:13). Berlin managed to reduce the deficit to three goals in the second half but never completed the comeback.
Emil Nielsen made 14 saves, Dragan Pechmalbec led the scoring with eight goals, and Nedim Remili added seven. Mathias Gidsel was Berlin’s top scorer with nine goals.
Veszprém recorded their fifth victory in five Champions League matches and will carry the maximum four points from their head-to-head encounters with Berlin into the main round.
Industria Kielce became the eighth team to secure a place in the TOP 12 after surviving a difficult away match in Switzerland.
The Polish side defeated HC Kriens-Luzern 32:30, although the hosts remained competitive until the closing minutes.
French line player Théo Monar delivered a flawless attacking performance, scoring eight goals from eight attempts. Julien Bos, Artsem Karalek and Aleks Vlah contributed five goals each, while Serbian goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev recorded 11 saves.
Marin Šipić was the home team’s leading scorer with eight goals.
Elsewhere, HC Zagreb claimed a crucial 29:28 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, keeping their hopes of reaching the next stage alive. Dinamo Bucuresti demolished SAH Aarhus 37:23 to complicate the qualification battle in Group E, while Aalborg Håndbold moved to the top of Group C with a 34:30 victory over RK Celje Pivovarna Laško.
Serbian champions RK Partizan AdmiralBet also celebrated their first Champions League point of the season after drawing 33:33 against FC Porto in Belgrade.
EHF Champions League 2026/27 – Round 5
Wednesday, October 21
One Veszprém HC – Füchse Berlin 39:35 (20:13)
One Veszprém HC: Nielsen (14 saves), Appelgren, Pechmalbec 8, Remili 7, Descat 6, Hesham 5, Martinović 4, Lenne 3, Elderaa 3, Thiagus Petrus 1, Dodić 1, Zeinelabedin Ali 1, Ligetvári, Gáncs-Pető, Mesilhy, Imre.
Füchse Berlin: Palicka (8 saves), Ludwig (3 saves), Gidsel 9, Freihöfer 5, Marsenić 5, Zaepfel 4, Grøndahl 3, Darj 2, Ariño 2, av Teigum 2, Prantner 1, Simak 1, Langhoff 1.
RK Partizan AdmiralBet – FC Porto 33:33 (14:16)
RK Partizan AdmiralBet: Trnavac (4 saves), Krivokapić (3 saves), Crnoglavac 8, Kuleš 6, Lumbroso 4, Damjanović 4, Wagner 3, Papović 3, Mićić 2, Sánchez-Migallón 1, Anđelković 1, Kos 1, Šotić, Ivanov, Abutović, Ivanić.
FC Porto: Abrahamsson (11 saves), Rêma (1 save), Oliveira 6, Costa 5, Brandão 5, Salina 4, Miguel Oliveira 3, Rui Silva 3, Martinez 3, Gomes 2, Fernandes 1, Ferreira 1, Djanló, Magalhães, Gonçalo Oliveira, Duarte.
HBC Nantes – HC Vardar 1961 27:33 (13:16)
HBC Nantes: Bonde (7 saves), Salmon (1 save), Turchenko 4, Perić 4, Tournat 3, Garciandia 3, Leopold 3, Briet 2, Tarrafeta 2, Abdi 2, Norlyk 1, Antonsen 1, Ovniček 1, Gaber 1, Dodić, Peyrabout.
HC Vardar 1961: Wałach (17 saves), Gogov, Ljevar 7, Malus 6, Mitrović 5, Georgievski 4, Francisco 3, Fadhuile 3, Matiaba-Tuzolana 2, Stojanovski 1, Lazarevski 1, Jankowski 1, Vorkapić, Anastasovski.
HC Zagreb – Paris Saint-Germain 29:28 (13:17)
HC Zagreb: Meštrić (9 saves), Kastelic (3 saves), Bialiauski 8, Tskhovrebadze 7, Glavaš 4, Gavrić 3, Topić 2, Karačić 2, Raužan 1, Sayed Abdou 1, Sadouski 1, Mamić, Štrlek, Pavlović, Kalarash, Tufegdžić.
Paris Saint-Germain: Corrales (11 saves), Løvkvist, Solé 10, Elisson 4, Yahia Omar 4, Syprzak 2, Peleka 2, Gaudin 2, Maraš 1, Steins 1, Karabatić 1, Prandi 1, Konan, Mellegård, Karlsson, Lyse.
Aalborg Håndbold – RK Celje Pivovarna Laško 34:30 (17:13)
Aalborg Håndbold: Norsten (11 saves), Jæger, Arnoldsen 6, Knorr 5, Anderson 4, Blonz 4, Möller 4, Larsen 3, Hoxer 3, Hald 2, Nielsen 2, Norlyk 1, Lindskog, Rønningen, Landin, Munk.
RK Celje Pivovarna Laško: Gaberšek (11 saves), Cešek, Mazej 5, Anžič 5, Heiss 5, Hurtado 4, Uzunčev 2, Grabar 2, Soršak 2, Korošec 2, Ključanin 2, Milićević 1, Kovač, Bradeško, Planteu, Kačičnik.
Dinamo Bucuresti – SAH Aarhus 37:23 (16:12)
Dinamo Bucuresti: Iancu (10 saves), Bellahcene (5 saves), Iturriza 5, Vujović 4, Buzle 4, Lenbroch 4, Langaro 4, Martins 3, Pascual 3, Makuc 3, Pergel 2, Akimenko 2, Nistor 1, Veitia 1, Grbić 1, Militaru.
SAH Aarhus: Petersen (5 saves), Brandbyge, Rasmussen 4, Cieslak 4, Jensen 3, Lærke 3, Kristjánsson 2, Hansen 2, Olsson 2, Bruun 1, Oscar Hansen 1, Dahlgaard 1, Bonefeld, Søberg, Poulsen, Kildelund.
HC Kriens-Luzern – Industria Kielce 30:32 (17:19)
HC Kriens-Luzern: Pilipović (12 saves), Car (1 save), Šipić 8, Jerome Müller 6, Bilyk 5, Schelker 3, Wolfisberg 2, Epp 2, Herburger 2, Oertli 1, Schlumpf 1, Zimmermann, Fuchs, Bader, Justin Müller, Idrizi.
Industria Kielce: Milosavljev (11 saves), Morawski, Kaleta, Monar 8, Bos 5, Karalek 5, Vlah 5, Olejniczak 3, Jarosiewicz 3, Yusuf 2, Jędraszczyk 1, Kounkoud, Latosinski, Rabchynski.
