Portuguese handball teams Benfica and FC Porto experienced contrasting results in European League matches Tuesday, yet both maintained strong positions for advancing to the competition’s Main Round.
Benfica secured a dominant 36-33 victory over Sweden’s Karlskrona in Lisbon. This win effectively guarantees the team second place in Group E.
The Lisbon club also benefited from Melsungen’s 28-25 triumph against Ferencvaros in Hungary. Benfica holds a significant head-to-head advantage over Ferencvaros, having beaten them by 13 goals (38-25) in their home fixture.
Benfica led from the opening seconds, establishing a 10-5 margin early on. They maintained a 18-13 lead by halftime.
The second half was largely managed by Benfica. Javier Rodríguez was a key player, scoring 12 goals, while Miguel Sanchez-Migallon added six.
Conversely, FC Porto suffered a narrow 29-31 defeat to Norway’s Elverum at their home arena. Despite the loss, Porto remains at the top of Group D.
FC Porto still controls its own path to qualification for the Main Round.
The match in Porto was a tight contest with numerous lead changes. Porto played without several key players, including Vasco Costa and Linus Persson.
“Our bench looks like a hospital. It’s very frustrating. We have many injured players,” said FC Porto coach Magnus Andersson.
Porto held a 19-16 lead at halftime. However, Elverum staged a second-half comeback, taking a 26-25 lead and controlling the final minutes of the game.