Göppingen win keeps last quarter-final berth open

With a 27:24 away win against RK Nexe, back-to-back EHF Cup winners Frisch Auf Göppingen did not only secure the group win; they also made sure that the last ticket for the three quarter-final ties will not be handed out until the last match day.

• The win made Göppingen certain to win the group
• A draw in the last match will be enough for Nexe to book the last quarter-final ticket
• Marko Mrdenovic scored nine goals for Nexe, Daniel Fontaine six for Göppingen

GROUP C

RK Nexe (CRO) vs Frisch Auf Göppingen (GER) 24:27 (8:15)

Frisch Auf Göppingen secured first place in the group and stayed on maximum points with their win in Croatia on Monday evening.

Despite the loss, Nexe still have the chance to book the last ticket for the quarter-finals, of which there will only be three after EHF Cup Final organisers SC Magdeburg won their group and secured direct access to the Finals.

A draw in the last match away against Finnish champions Cocks on Saturday evening will still be enough for the Croatian side to reach the quarter-finals.

In case of a defeat, Nexe will be dependent on the result of the Group A match between Bjerringbro-Silkeborg and Magdeburg.

A Silkeborg win will then see the goal difference between the Danish team and Nexe decide the quarter-final berth.

When Nexe enter the court in Finland, they will know the result from Denmark, though.

Göppingen, who had already qualified for the quarter-final before the match,  were dominating throughout the first half in Monday’s game, and for the first part of the second half, they maintained their seven-goal lead from half time, but slowly, the home team came closer.

Nexe never came any closer than being two goals down though, so the German win was never really in danger.