SUMMARY: MOTW draw headlines thrilling round as men's top flight returns

• round 11 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase
• Kiel secured a last-second draw with Kielce in the MOTW, 36:36, and stay top of group A
• other group A results: Aalborg vs Zagreb 32:22; Szeged vs Kolstad 29:27; Pelister vs PSG 25:31
• group B results: Porto vs Veszprém 26:40; Magdeburg vs Plock 28:22; GOG vs Barça 23:30; Montpellier vs Celje 32:21
• watch all match highlights on YouTube and see the group standings
• for match recaps, read the day reviews: Wednesday; Thursday
• Courtney Gahan reported live match coverage. All photos courtesy of the home teams

Thursday 15 February

23:12

As we say goodbye to round 11, recap on what happened today in the review below. 

See you next round! 

22:48

Opponents on the field, but not beyond — a heart-warming but so-handball moment captured pre-game in Porto below. Porto's Daymaro Salina receives an artwork all the way from Veszprém in memory of his good friend, former Porto and Portugal goalkeeper Alfredo Quintana, who passed away suddenly in 2021. 

22:41 

What a return of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League it was! Below, see all the results of the round, played on Wednesday and Thursday. 

22:31

Looking at the group B table following the results in the last two games, Magdeburg and Veszprém both maintain their positions with their victories, as Magdeburg remain second on 18 points and Veszprém are third on 16. There is now a four-point gap from Veszprém to the next closest team, fourth-ranked Montpellier. 

For Plock and Porto, the defeats to Magdeburg and Veszprém mean they stay on six points in sixth and seventh position. Plock and Porto look to be headed for quite a contest as the season progresses, as only the top six teams progress to the knockout phase and right now they are each other's biggest rivals. 

See all the group standings following round 11 here. 

22:24 RESULT | SC MAGDEBURG VS PLOCK 28:22

In the end, a commanding victory for the defending title holders, who outscore Plock 15:8 in the second period to clinch the two points. 

22:20

It was the first match for Veszprém for Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2022/23 winner Mike Jensen, who joined from — coincidentally another Portuguese club — Benfica in February. With a save rate of 47 per cent and eight balls stopped, Jensen could hardly have had a more perfect debut, as his new team cruised to a big victory. 

Below, enjoy his first save for the Hungarian team. 

22:16 SECOND HALF | SC MAGDEBURG VS PLOCK 26:21

Five minutes to the buzzer in Magdeburg, and till the end of round 11. Magdeburg are comfortably in front but there's still time and a narrow enough deficit for Plock to pull off a miracle comeback — but only if that starts to happen now. 

22:14 RESULT | FC PORTO VS VESZPRÉM 26:40

A big outing from Veszprém as they hit 40 goals on the quest for victory in Porto. The win takes Veszprém to 16 points on the group B table, while Porto stay on six. 

22:03 SECOND HALF | SC MAGDEBURG VS PLOCK 23:19

The clock hits 45 minutes with Magdeburg now in command. From one goal behind at the break, Magdeburg have owned the second half, scoring the first four goals to equalise immediately then create an advantage. Goalkeeper Nikola Portner has played a key role, delivering in the critical moments as he has so often before. The Swiss keeper counts four saves at a rate of 40 per cent. 

21:54 SECOND HALF | FC PORTO VS VESZPRÉM 19:32

With 15 minutes to go, it appears to be all but done and dusted in Porto, where Veszprém currently lead by 13 goals. Porto have thrown everything they have at the Hungarian powerhouse, rotating through their whole bench, but have not found the key to put a dent in the decisive deficit against them. 

Three Veszprém players have hit five goals — all newly crowned continental champions: France's Ludovic Fabregas, the All-star Team line player at the EHF EURO 2024 won by his team; and Egypt's Yahia Omar and Yehia Elderaa, who just won the African championship and booked an Olympic ticket. David Alonso has hit the same mark for Porto. 

But Veszprém's goalkeepers have really stolen the show. Rodrigo Corrales left court with 14 saves and a rate of 45.16 per cent. Coming in between the posts, Dane Mike Jensen has stopped five shots from seven faced for a whopping 71.43 per cent. 

In Magdeburg, the home side are showing why they are the defending title holders, having been rewarded for their perseverance with the lead over Plock, 19:17 in the 40th minute. 

21:46

Back to action on both courts. In Germany, the thriller continues to unfold, as Magdeburg have a one-goal edge, 15:14, against Plock two minutes into the second half. In Porto, Veszprém are not taking one toe off the accelerator and lead 28:18. 

21:26 HALF-TIME | SC MAGDEBURG VS PLOCK 13:14

Plock hold onto the narrowest of leads at half-time in Germany, but are facing a difficult task holding Magdeburg off. An exciting 30 minutes awaits in the second half. 

21:21 HALF-TIME | FC PORTO VS VESZPRÉM 11:21

Porto go to the break with a very difficult task ahead, as they trail by 10 goals. Veszprém goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales headlined the first half with 13 saves at a rate of 54.17 per cent. 

21:13 FIRST HALF | SC MAGDEBURG VS PLOCK 10:10

Felix Claar pulls Magdeburg level with nine minutes to go until the break in Germany. Plock still have the edge, as Magdeburg levelled at 9:9 and the visitors then scored first again. Now Magdeburg hope to break that pattern and firmly take control. 

In Porto, any attempt at a comeback from the home side seems to have been well and truly halted. Veszprém have reached a 10-goal advantage, first at 17:7 in the 23rd minute. 

21:04 FIRST HALF | FC PORTO VS VESZPRÉM 6:13

Porto have solved their initial scoring problems, which saw them net just one goal in the opening seven minutes, but are left with a big comeback task after Veszprém's powerful start. There is little balance in the statistics between the sides, as Veszprém have hardly missed a shot and, although their attacking efficiency is not as high as it could be, they are far outplaying Porto in that respect, with rates of 54 per cent for the Hungarian team and 27 per cent for Porto. 

The reason for that is clear: Rodrigo Corrales has been simply enormous in Veszprém's goal, with nine saves — more than half the shots he's faced. 

In Magdeburg, the home side are fighting back as well, but from a much smaller deficit. It's 9:7 for Plock in the 16th minute. 

20:56 FIRST HALF | SC MAGDEBURG VS PLOCK 4:6

We hit the 10-minute mark with two very different games unfolding. In Magdeburg, the defending Champions League title holders are having some trouble against Plock, who have profited from a superb start from left back Tin Lucin — four goals already — and attack orchestrated by Miha Zarabec to take the lead. 

The visitors are also in front in Porto, but far more clearly, at 9:4. That score is almost a relief for Porto however, as they trailed 8:1 seven minutes in as Veszprém ruthlessly hammered the goal. 

20:45

Here we go! The last matches of round 11 are now underway, as Magdeburg host Plock and Porto meet Veszprém. 

22:37

Round 11 is coming to a close but we still have two games to enjoy. Join us on EHFTV for the last matches of the round, both starting at 20:45 CET: 

• Magdeburg vs Plock
• Porto vs Veszprém

20:31

Here we have it! How Szeged secured their win in the dying seconds against Kolstad. 

20:27

Before we move on to the last matches of round 11, starting at 20:45 CET, one last look at the huge goalkeeper games we just saw. 

Niklas Landin ended up on a save rate of 51.72 per cent for Aalborg, with a tally of 15 saves. His counterpart in Zagreb's goal, Ante Grbavac, came in at 33.33 per cent with nine stops.

Over in Szeged, the home team's goalkeepers were on fire, with 13 saves for Roland Mikler and a rate of 40 per cent for Emil Kheri Imsgard, who came in near the end and faced five shots, saving two. Torbjørn Bergerud made 20 saves that took him to the top of this ranking across the entire season, as he counts a total of 132 saves in the season. And who should be right behind him but Niklas Landin, with a total of 118.  

20:20 RESULT | SZEGED VS KOLSTAD 29:27

A thriller to the end — Szeged have the last say with Borut Mackovsek securing the victory with the final goal 11 seconds before the buzzer, and Emil Kheri Imsgard wrapping it up with a save on Kolstad's attempted response. 

20:15 SECOND HALF | SZEGED VS KOLSTAD 27:26

Less than 90 seconds left on the clock as Emil Kheri Imsgard makes a critical save for Szeged. 

20:14 RESULT | AALBORG VS ZAGREB 32:22

Aalborg collect a decisive victory over Zagreb and with that move up to 14 points on the group A table and back into second position. 

20:07 SECOND HALF | SZEGED VS KOLSTAD 24:23

What a rollercoaster! Seven minutes without a goal hurt Szeged considerably, as Kolstad turn the 23:19 game (minute 45) into a level one at 23:23. The Hungarian team finally find the goal again courtesy of line player Bence Banhidi in the 53rd. It is the seventh goal for the line player, who is outscored in this match only by Kolstad wing Sigvaldi Bjørn Gudjonsson, who has a tally of eight. 

In Aalborg, the game enters the final five minutes with the home team in front 29:19. 

20:01 SECOND HALF | AALBORG VS ZAGREB 27:16

It's cruise control for Aalborg now, as they pass a 10-goal lead and appear very much on track for the two points with 10 minutes to go. Only a miracle can turn the game in Zagreb's favour now. Aalborg are using the opportunity to rotate their on-court line-up a lot, with only two field players not having scored a goal at this point. 

In Szeged, the home side have re-established a small cushion, leading 23:20 in the 38th minute. 

19:49 SECOND HALF | SZEGED VS KOLSTAD 18:18

10 minutes into the second half in Hungary, Kolstad draw level with their hosts as wing Sigvaldi Bjørn Gudjonsson nets his fifth goal. Szeged respond with a timeout as they attempt to stop Kolstad's comeback in its track. 

The great goalkeeper battle continues with Kolstad's Torbjørn Bergerud already having added four saves this half and Szeged's Roland Mikler making three — and both their save rates have climbed several percentage points since the first half. 

In Aalborg, Zagreb are struggling to pull off a similar comeback to Kolstad's, as the six-goal gap from the first half still haunts them. Aalborg lead 22:14 at the 40-minute mark. 

19:38

Back to it in Aalborg and Szeged, as the two games resume with the second halves. Aalborg lead Zagreb 18:13 90 seconds into the second period. Szeged and Kolstad have only just thrown off and the score remains where it was at half-time, 15:13 for the Hungarian team. 

19:32

What a performance from the goalkeepers in these first matches of the night. In Szeged, both Roland Mikler, for the home side, and Torbjørn Bergerud, have recorded rates of over 40 per cent for the first half — 40.91 per cent after nine saves and 42.31 per cent after 11, respectively, to be precise. 

In Aalborg, Niklas Landin finished the first 30 minutes with six saves at 37.5 per cent. 

Below, one of Bergerud's best saves of the opening half. 

19:24 HALF-TIME | SZEGED VS KOLSTAD 15:13

Szeged lose their commanding grip on the game in the last minutes of the half, seeing their four-goal lead shrink to two before the buzzer. 

19:22 HALF-TIME | AALBORG VS ZAGREB 18:12

Zagreb have plenty to talk about at half-time as they trail by six goals at the break in Aalborg. 

19:09 FIRST HALF | AALBORG VS ZAGREB 13:8

10 minutes to go before the break in Aalborg and the Danish side are holding a strong lead. Incredibly for such a time in the game and such a number of goals, almost half of Aalborg's have come from one player: Mikkel Hansen. Hansen has netted six goals from as many attempts, with four of those from the field. Insane form from the back. 

In Szeged, the Hungarian team have pulled away to a four-goal advantage, 10:6, with 18 minutes played. Below, enjoy a super assist from Szeged playmaker Dean Bombac. 

19:00 FIRST HALF | SZEGED VS KOLSTAD 8:6

It's a super goalkeeping battle unfolding in Szeged, where the home side's Roland Mikler has made three saves as we hit the 13-minute mark and Kolstad's Torbjørn Bergerud has made a very impressive six and 42 per cent. The goalkeepers' efforts are keeping the attacking efficiency for both sides very low. 

In Aalborg, the home side have stretched their lead to a big 9:4 at the same time on the clock. 

18:51 FIRST HALF | AALBORG VS ZAGREB 4:1

Six minutes played in Denmark and Aalborg have been quick out of the blocks, scoring two unanswered goals to start and creating a three-goal lead. 

In goal, the Danish side's goalkeeper Niklas Landin has made an impression early, contributing to Zagreb's much lower scoring rate compared to Aalborg's 100 per cent effort so far. 

Over in Hungary, it's all square at 3:3 between Szeged and Kolstad. 

18:45

Night two of round 11 is officially underway, as two games throw-off, in Szeged and Aalborg. 

18:37

Almost game time! Join us now on EHFTV for the two matches coming up at 18:45 CET:

• Szeged vs Kolstad
• Aalborg vs Zagreb

18:29

A quick look at the other group A clash throwing off at 18:45 CET: Szeged vs Kolstad. Kolstad won the first match between the sides clearly — 37:24 on the home court. That was the first match ever between the teams. 

Kolstad star Sander Sagosen was the third top scorer of the competition before the round began, with 59 goals. After last night's action, he sits joint-sixth, but may be able to climb the ladder again tonight, although the next up the list are five goals in front. He is three goals in front of his own teammate, wing Sigvaldi Bjørn Gudjonsson, who also makes the top 10 scorers of the season. 

Another teammate, goalkeeper Torbjørn Bergerud, has the third most saves of the season, with 112. Both Bergerud and Sagosen recently extended their contracts with Kolstad in their native Norway. 

18:18

With the Champions League resuming after the series of continental championships held in January, including the Men's EHF EURO 2024, the memories of the players' performances for their national teams are fresh in our minds. This round, we are seeing players who just celebrated titles, medals and even Olympic qualification take the court. 

In the Aalborg versus Zagreb match will be four players who took the silver medal with Denmark at the EURO in Germany, and I must highlight one in particular: Mikkel Hansen, who became the all-time top scorer of the Men's EHF EURO during the trophy game. 

This is not the first record of this calibre for Hansen, as he is also the top scorer across the history of handball at the Olympic Games, since Tokyo 2020. In Tokyo, he also broke the men's record for most goals scored in one Olympics. 

He is up there on the overall ranking of Machineseeker EHF Champions League goals, as one of only four players to have passed 1,000 in his career in the top flight. But the Champions League is also the one trophy that has eluded Hansen, as he has taken all possible national team titles but never the coveted club trophy. 

18:06

Looking more closely at each of the games getting us started tonight, let's take a trip to Aalborg, where two teams that split the points in the reverse fixture are meeting. The last game between Aalborg and Zagreb ended 30:30. Overall, Aalborg have the stronger record in mutual games, with five wins compared to one for Zagreb since the teams first met in 2019. 

Aalborg currently have 12 points and Zagreb have 10. With that, they sit in fourth and sixth on the group A table, respectively, but the three top-ranked teams all played their round 11 games yesterday. While Zagreb cannot climb any higher than fifth position tonight, Aalborg can reclaim the spot they had prior to the beginning of the round — second — with a victory here. 

In between Aalborg and Zagreb, in what is an extremely tight group among the top seven, are Szeged with 11 points, who will also take the court at 18:45 CET, meeting Kolstad, who are in seventh on nine points. With all four of these sides so close on the table, these first two matches of the night could see quite a shakeup in the standings in group A. 

17:50

Good evening! Courtney Gahan now on the live blog to take you through the evening as the last four matches in round 11 are played.

We are less than one hour away from the starting whistles on tonight's games. Here's what's coming up:

• 18:45 CET: Szeged vs Kolstad; Aalborg vs Zagreb
• 20:45 CET: Magdeburg vs Plock; Porto vs Veszprém

Catch all the games live on EHFTV.

17:00

Also playing tonight are Telekom Veszprém, and on the latest episode of EHF podcast The Spin, EHF EURO MVP Nedim Remili talked about how he thinks Veszprém are ready to win the EHF Champions League, and the way he wants to bring France's winning mentality to the team. Check out the podcast here.

16:30

Welcome back to the live blog for the second day of Machineseeker EHF Champions League round 11 action. Scandinavian sides Kolstad and Aalborg are in action in the first games at 18:45 CET, so what better way to start things off than sharing the fabulous Dare to Rise documentary featuring their stars Sander Sagosen and Niklas Landin? Both players left THW Kiel at the end of last season to go home, to Norway and Denmark respectively, and both have dreams of winning the Champions League with their current clubs. At the moment, Aalborg are several steps ahead of Kolstad - with the latter teetering on the edge of elimination - but let's see what happens tonight in their games against Zagreb and Szeged.

Wednesday 14 February

23:13

It's time to say goodnight, but another exciting evening is coming up on Thursday night with four games still ahead in round 11:

• 18:45 CET: Szeged vs Kolstad; Aalborg vs Zagreb
• 20:45 CET: Magdeburg vs Plock; Porto vs Veszprém

I leave you with the highlights of the MOTW Kielce vs Kiel. If you missed the match, you definitely want to check these out — what a thriller it was to cap off the first night of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League back in action.

Check out more highlights of tonight's games on the Home of Handball YouTube. 

23:11

Time for a recap! Read all about how tonight's four matches unfolded in the day review below. 

22:25

Seven goals from eight attempts lead Kielce right back Alex Dujshebaev to the Player of the Match award. 

22:23

Missed the MOTW? We've got you covered. See the seconds that really matter below, as the exciting conclusion saw Kielce and Kiel draw and take a point each away from the encounter. 

22:21 RESULT | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 36:36

Three goals in the last 45 seconds and the MOTW ends in a draw after an absolutely thrilling finish. A penalty scored by Kiel wing Niclas Ekberg took it to 35:35, before Igor Karacic broke through with nine seconds to go seeming to give Kielce the win. But it was Ekberg again, this time on a lightning quick fast break, who equalised right before the buzzer and decided the points split between the sides. 

22:19 SECOND HALF | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 35:34

The clock ticks into the last minute with Kielce in front by one goal, as Andreas Wolff makes a key save, but a penalty is called for Kiel. 

22:15 RESULT | MONTPELLIER VS CELJE 32:21

Montpellier take their third 11-goal win of the season as they power to victory over Celje. The win takes MHB to 12 points, where they stay in fourth position in group B, while Celje are left waiting for their first points. 

22:07 SECOND HALF | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 31:30

Three goals in a row see Kielce finally take the lead again, with seven minutes on the clock, and Kiel coach Filip Jicha responds with a timeout. 

It was right back Alex Dujshebaev who netted the critical goal for Kielce — his sixth of the game. There have been a few individual high scoring efforts in this match, with Dujshebaev's teammates Dylan Nahi and Nicolas Tournat on six and seven, respectively. For Kiel, Harald Reinkind has six and Eric Johansson counts seven, including this beauty below. 

22:03 SECOND HALF | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 28:29

We enter the last 10 minutes of MOTW on the edge of our seats, as we are again at a one-goal game. The last level score was now almost 15 minutes ago, at 21:21 in the 36th minute. Kielce are really struggling to complete the comeback every time they are close, but they only need to manage it at the right time in order to snatch the points here. The home side have not been in front since the seventh minute. 

Keep in mind that if Kiel take the win, it will be their first win in Kielce since 2011. 

21:51 SECOND HALF | MONTPELLIER VS CELJE 25:17

Checking in on the game in France, Montpellier are really stretching their lead, with an eight-goal advantage in the 42nd minute. 

Montpellier have developed something of a flair for decisive wins this season, with two results of 11 goals in their favour — 35:24 against Porto and 36:25 versus GOG in the last game before the break. 

Meanwhile in Kielce, the tight tussle continues, as Kiel keep opening differences of several goals only for Kielce to keep chasing and again come within one. It's 23:24 in the 41st. 

21:44 SECOND HALF | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 20:21

Dylan Nahi nets his sixth from as many attempts as Kielce come within one on their continued chase of Kiel, five minute into the second half. It's a relief for Kielce to close the gap as they saw a deficit of three goals against them twice in the first minutes of the second period. 

Kiel back Harald Reinkind also holds a perfect record of six goals from six shots. 

21:25 HALF-TIME | MONTPELLIER VS CELJE 17:12

A clear lead for Montpellier at half-time in France. The French side have not only rained in goals from all over the court but have really quietened Celje's most prolific scorer, Mitija Janc. Janc, who is the second top scorer of the competition overall, has netted only one so far. 

21:22 HALF-TIME | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 15:17

Kielce have threatened to take the lead more than once, equalising the game a couple of times since the first quarter of the match, but they could never move in front and we go to the break in the MOTW with Kiel holding the advantage. 

21:12 FIRST HALF | MONTPELLIER VS CELJE 16:11

Celje's upper hand lasted six minutes before Montpellier levelled for the last time then put in a two-goal gap with three consecutive strikes from the back court. From the 19th minute to now, the 24th, the French team have recorded a 4:1 run that took the score from 12:10 to a clear 16:11 in their favour, as Celje seem to run out of power to match their hosts. 

Already, all but four Montpellier players have had a shot on goal — even goalkeeper Remi Desbonnet. It looks like MHB will be able to rotate a lot as the match continues and really take advantage of their superior depth. 

20:59 FIRST HALF | MOTW KIELCE VS KIEL 6:8

Kielce were strong out of the gate but Kiel have grabbed the edge now, as we pass the 13-minute mark in the MOTW. 

Kiel's attack is outplaying Kielce's quite clearly, but it is not because of a great goalkeeping performance in the Polish side's goal. Back Harald Reinkind has contributed three of Kiel's goals, with no shots missed so far. 

20:50

We are live with the second lot of games for this evening! Kielce are leading the scoring against Kiel, at 4:2 in the fifth minute, while it's all square at 4:4 in Montpellier. 

20:39

Time to grab your popcorn and tune in for the 20:45 games, including the MOTW! Join us EHFTV now.

• MOTW: Kielce vs Kiel
• Montpellier vs Celje

20:26

The MOTW is not the only one throwing off at 20:45 CET, with Montpellier hosting Celje in a group B clash that sees the Slovenian side fighting for their first points of the season. Montpellier have an even record of five wins and five losses to count 10 points in their account and sit fourth in the group, while Celje are at the bottom of the table. 

The reverse fixture saw Montpellier win by two goals — one of their two away wins of the season. Montpellier have won four of the five previous games between the sides, with Celje's only win coming 23 years ago. 

Montpellier count no fewer than five EHF EURO 2024 champions in their squad: Goalkeepers Remi Desbonnet and Charles Bolzinger, as well as Yanis Lenne, Karl Konan and Valentin Porte. 

20:12 RESULT | GOG VS BARÇA 23:30

Barça make it five wins in a row in the top flight as they take a confident win over GOG that puts their points tally at 20, while GOG stay on 10. Emil Madsen and Melvyn Richardson both net six goals to top score the game. 

20:10 RESULT | EUROFARM PELISTER VS PSG 25:31

PSG collect an important win versus Eurofarm Pelister, led by a combined 13 goals from wing Ferran Sole and line player Kamil Syprzak. 

20:03 SECOND HALF | EUROFARM PELISTER VS PSG 20:27

Strangely enough, the score in North Macedonia is exactly the same as that in Denmark, with the away side also eyeing the two points up for grabs in their encounter. For PSG, this would be the sixth victory of the season and importantly, take them up to 13 points on the table, where they would temporarily pass Aalborg and Kielce and move into second. 

19:58 SECOND HALF | GOG VS BARÇA 20:27

Nearing the final 10 minutes, Barça are looking good to be the first team to hit 20 points this season, with what would be their 10th win in 2023/24. 

The Spanish side's scoring machine is running rampant, with plenty of rotation and almost all field players having contributed a goal or more. At the other end of the court, Emil Nielsen is contininuing with his superb form shown at the EHF EURO 2024, with a save rate of 47 per cent after 18 stops. 

On GOG's side, Matthias Dorgelo has had an oustanding half as well, recording a 43 per cent save rate with seven balls stopped. 

19:54

The MOTW is less than one hour away, with THW Kiel visiting Kielce. Kiel centre back Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu was one player who grabbed attention — not for the first time in his career — at the Men's EHF EURO 2024, as Faroe Islands made their debut at the final tournament. They captured the hearts of handball fans with the help of their fans and a memorable draw against Norway that was celebrated almost like a trophy. 

“Those were great moments in Berlin when everyone sang the national anthem. And in the end even people from other countries cheered us on because we were likeable outsiders. We now have arrived on the handball map — thanks to our achievements, but also thanks to our great fans,” says Skipagøtu now. 

With 33 goals this season, the 21-year-old is playing a strong first year in the top-flight competition, and hopes to help Kiel take the points tonight and stay on top of group A. With a three-goal gap over their nearest rivals, Kiel are in the running to clinch a direct spot in the quarter-finals.  

19:41

Back in business on both courts, with Barça still nursing a four-goal lead over GOG and PSG also maintaining their same half-time gap versus Eurofarm Pelister, 18:12, with five minutes played in the second halves. 

19:23 FIRST HALF | EUROFARM PELISTER VS PSG 9:15

PSG appear on track for victory as they hold a six-goal advantage at the break at Pelister. 

19:22 HALF-TIME | GOG VS BARÇA 14:17

Barça take a promising three-goal lead into the break against GOG. 

19:11 FIRST HALF | GOG VS BARÇA 10:12

Eight minutes to go before the half-time break and GOG are keeping it close against Barça. When the teams met in Spain, Barça came away with an eight-goal win in the end — one of GOG's five defeats so far in the season, alongside their five wins.

But GOG's five wins mostly came early in the season, with one victory in their last five games before the Christmas and EHF EURO break. 

Overall, the head-to-head record between these sides favours Barça, perhaps unsurprisingly given their stature as the record title holders. They have won 11 of the 13 games between the two, including both quarter-final games last season. GOG only beat Barça once before, in 2008. 

19:05 FIRST HALF | EUROFARM PELISTER VS PSG 4:8 

We hit the 15-minute mark at Eurofarm Pelister with the hosts still chasing their opponents, as PSG stay clear in front and look to be living up to the name of favourites. 

As Pelister have yet to take a point this season, the French side are expected to come away with the win here. PSG have only lost to pretty big names this season, with three of their four defeats at the hands of the MOTW teams Kielce and Kiel. 

PSG count three newly crowned European champions in their midst: Nikola and Luka Karabatic, as well as Elohim Prandi. But at this point in the match they are led on the score board by Spanish wing Ferran Sole, with four goals from four shots, and Polish line player Kamil Syprzak, on three from as many attempts. 

18:55 FIRST HALF | GOG VS BARÇA 5:6

Nine minutes in at GOG and the hosts have just fought back to within one after falling behind by three at the eight-minute mark as Dika Mem struck with his second goal. Barça's back court have already caused a big headache for GOG's defence, with another three goals coming from Mem's counterpart on the left, Jonathan Carlsbogard.  

The home side are also facing a tough task early on at Pelister, where PSG streaked ahead to lead 5:1 and still holding a lead of a few goals. 

18:45

We are officially back! Opening whistle at GOG and Eurofarm Pelister. 

18:38

Throw-off of round 11 is just minutes away! Join us now on EHFTV to catch the first two games: 

• GOG vs Barça
• Eurofarm Pelister vs PSG

18:19

Let's jump ahead to a look at the Match of the Week, Kielce vs Kiel, taking place in Poland at 20:45 CET. 

It's a contest between two of the top teams in group A, with Kiel on top of the table with 15 points and Kielce in third on 12, although they are level with second-ranked Aalborg on points. Kielce and Aalborg are also just one point ahead of PSG and Szeged, and PSG are looking to add to their colllection tonight against Pelister while Szeged take on Kolstad on Thursday. 

Kielce look to have a serious upper hand on the home court based on the historical record against Kiel, as they have not lost the German team in their own arena since 2011. Five matches have been played in Kielce since then. 

Both teams enter the game on the back of wins in their domestic league. 

18:05

Barça goalkeeper Emil Nielsen looks to have had a warm welcome home to Denmark, as his side take on GOG in one of the two opening matches tonight. Anyone following the Men's EHF EURO 2024 in January will know why, as Nielsen played an outstanding tournament for Denmark, finishing with the highest save rate across the competition — 39.49 per cent. 

Nielsen never played for GOG, but will meet a few of his national teammates in the clash tonight.

Check out the pre-match photos arrived from GOG below!

17:03

The other match starting at 18:45 CET features the record champions, Barça, visiting GOG in Denmark. Barça are the group B leaders, and they surely don't want to mess around tonight as they are eager to lock up their top-two spot and secure their direct entry into the quarter-finals as soon as possible. It cannot officially happen this round, but another win would bring them very, very close to that coveted quarter-final spot. 

Fifth-ranked GOG, on the other hand, are firmly on course to the play-offs. They lost the reverse fixture in Palau Blaugrana 38:30 back in October, and Barça have been so kind to remind GOG of this result by posting the match highlights on X this afternoon:

16:48

The spotlights tonight will be mainly on the Match of the Week between Kielce and Kiel, who throw off their highly anticipated encounter in Hala Legionów at 20:45 CET, so more about that match soon here on the live blog.

Let's first take a look at the early matches. Three freshly crowned French EHF EURO champions – the Karabatic brothers and Elohim Prandi – are with PSG in Bitola tonight, where they meet Pelister, the only of the 16 group phase team that is officially out of the race for a knockout spot.

Still aiming for a top-two finish a group A, everything but a clear win for PSG would be surprise. 

16:39

So, we have four more rounds to go in the group phase, as the race for the quarter-final and play-off spots gets more intense. With so far only Barça and Magdeburg formally qualified for the knockout phase and Pelister out of contention, we have 13 teams who are hoping to stamp their ticket to the next phase soon.

Here is the round preview written by EHF journalist Kevin Domas:

16:30

It is Valentine's Day... and today we continue our love affair with the Machineseeker EHF Champions League!

Welcome to the live blog for round 11 of the group phase as Europe's top flight fi-nal-ly returns to business after its 10-week break for the holidays and the Men's EHF EURO 2024.

We are just over two hours away from throw-off, with a packed schedule of eight matches as usual coming your way tonight and tomorrow: