There were several history-making occasions this week in the EHF Champions League Men. Veszprém, Barcelona and Aalborg all set their own records, which might be further improved in the forthcoming weeks. And of course we do not forget about Flensburg and Nantes – the other two teams that impressed us this week.
Here are the five talking points from EHF Champions League Men round 2.
- Preparing with a hot air balloon
There are many ways to prepare for a Champions League game, but PSG players Ferran Sole and Mathieu Grebille used an unusual one. Both went on a hot air balloon ride to mark the International Day of Air Quality. They were able to enjoy aerial views of the French capital, which both call home since this summer. And judging by the footage, that was quite an experience!
- Time for records
The powerhouses have started this season’s EHF Champions League in perfect fashion. Veszprém and Barça are on top of group B, and not only are they already playing their best handball, they are always on their way to making history.
The Spanish side are just five games short of tying Paris Saint-Germain’s record of 41 unbeaten home games in the Champions League. Veszprém, on the other hand, won their 200th game in the competition, while Barça hold that record with 234 victories.
Judging by both teams’ form, the series looks set to continue…
- Flensburg’s stunning win in Match of the Week
Predicting Flensburg’s win in Paris on Wednesday was certainly one of the big bets of the week, especially since the German side had never taken the points on this opponent’s court, despite being very close in the last few seasons.
But determination is everything, and Flensburg never let go of hope. Thanks to an impressive Benjamin Buric between the posts, who stopped Paris’ attempt to make the score even in the dying seconds, SG will now stand among the few teams to have beaten PSG on their home court.
- Emil Nielsen's unusual yet effective save
Emil Nielsen was critical in Nantes’ historic win in Kiel on Thursday. The Danish goalkeeper saved some shots in a fairly traditional way, but he was also able to pull off this rather unusual one, running back to his goal. After all, who cares how you do it if it you make it work?
That is one way of celebrating the club’s 100th game in European cup competitions.
- Aalborg’s perfect start to the season
We talked about Veszprém, Barça and Flensburg – clubs that made history in various ways this weekend. But we have not said anything about Aalborg yet, the fourth team to have won their first two games in the Champions League.
Nothing could be done to stop the Danish squad by either Celje in round 1 or Motor on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see whether Zagreb are able to do better next week.
TEXT:
Kevin Domas