Nine-goal lead not enough for Csurgo

Nine-goal lead not enough for Csurgo

Being nine goals up after a home game is not always enough for the overall win in an EHF Cup tie.

Csurgói KK was the latest, though not the first team to learn this lesson.

The Hungarian team won 33:24 at home against RK Dubrava last weekend, but in the return game in Croatia, this lead turned out to be just not enough.

After a modest 14:12 lead at half time, Dubrava ran off in the second half and won 36:26, which was exactly enough to secure a ticket for the next round, while Csurgo have to give up the hope of copying their achievement from the 2013-14 season, where they reached the group phase.

However Hungary will still have three teams in the next round. Apart from CYEB Budakalasz and Grundfos Tatabanya KC, who enter the tournament in Round 3, Balatonfüredi KSE qualified last weekend with a clear win in their double-header against Iceland's Valur.

Croatia's Nexe qualify

Croatia will be almost as strongly represented in Round 3 as Hungary, having two teams in the final qualification round for the group phase.

Apart from RK Dubrava, RK Nexe are also ready for the next round. Nexe had already taken a big step toward the third round with their 27:25 away against Pölva Serviti last weekend, and this Saturday, they removed the last doubt by defeating their Estonian adversaries as big as 32:21 at home.

This means that Nexe still have the chance of copying their achievement from the 2014/15 season, when they reached the group phase.

The double header in Constanta, Romania, also turned into a rather close affair. On Saturday, the home team HC Dubrogea Sud Constanta won narrowly 24:22 against their Norwegian visitors BSK Handball Elite.

The second leg on Sunday was also close most of the time, before Constanta finally booked the ticket for Qualification Round 3 with a 27:24 win.

Cocks still in with a chance

Cocks were in the group phase as late as last season, when the Finnish champions got that far in Europe for the first time in history. They still have to chance to get just as far this year.

After losing their first leg 40:35 away against Belgian team Achilles Bocholt, Cocks managed to turn the tables at home.

Already at half-time, the five-goal difference was neutralised, as Cocks were leading 17:11.

The Finnish side also won the second half by six goals, ending up with a 37:25 win which eliminated any possible doubt about the final outcome.

Court of Handball to decide about the protest of St. Petersburg

Hafnarfjordur won the first match at home in Iceland 32:27, and after the 60 minutes in the return match in Russia, the score was exactly the same, but this time in the favour of former Russian national coach Dmitri Torgovanov's St. Petersburg.

After a thrilling finish, St. Petersburg managed to make it 32:27 in the last seconds. The game went to the extra time with the final score 37:33 for the Russian team. HC St. Petersburg, however, filed an official protest and after examination of the protest and the related documents the Court of Handball has opened legal proceedings to determine next steps.