Twelve more teams to Round 2, Banja Luka to Round 3

After five teams had clinched their tickets already in the previous weekend, twelve more sides completed the list of participants of the EHF Cup Round 2. One team – RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka (BIH) qualified for the Round 3, where it joined fourteen top seeds of the competition.

The first leg of the Round 2 will be played on 13/14 October, the second leg one week later on 20/21 October 2012. The winners proceed to the final qualification stage before the Group Phase, Round 3, where they are placed together with the top seeded teams. The fixtures will be drawn on Tuesday 23 October 2012.

As expected the Danish powerhouse KIF Kolding stole the show of the Round 2 during the weekend. One of the main favourites of the competition beat English amateur side London GD by 56 goals on aggregate (46:16 and 42:16) as Boris Schnuchel (pictured right) scored 19 goals in the first leg and broke a week-old record of the new EHF Cup set by Moldavian Alexandr Lupasco (16 goals).

In the second leg on Sunday even the veteran goalkeeper Kasper Hvidt made it to the scoring sheet. The Montenegrin champion HC Lovćen will meet with Kolding in the next Round.

Swedish coach Ola Lindgren keeps riding the wave of success from the Olympics. Four-time silver medallist, who added his first coaching silver in London last month, took over IFK Kristianstad only in May just before their first ever trip to a European club competition.

In the second leg of the match between the Swedish and Slovak runners-up Kristianstad´s seven goals cushion was never really threatened by Sporta Hlohovec and Nordic players sailed past the home team to the next round where they will have an all-Swedish encounter with Eskilstuna Guif.

Another Swedish participant Ystads IF recorded the biggest comeback of the opening round. After five-goal loss (22:27) in the first leg they beat the Portuguese club Sporting CP by eleven on the home court (37:26) and will play Stiinta Municipal Dedeman Bacau (ROU).

Banja Luka made their way to the Round 3 after eliminating Kosovan club KH BESA Famiglia with two convincing results – 31:22 and 32:22. They will pass by the Round 2, because RK Cimos Koper (SLO), who were originally drawn against the winner of this Round 1 match, were invited to take part in the Wild Card Tournament of the VELUX EHF Champions Legue.

Since Koper did not succeed a week ago in a battle for a spot in the European top club competition, they were redirected back to the EHF Cup and will meet with HV KRAS/Volendam. The Dutch club ousted BSV Bern Muri from Switzerland in the Round 1 (26:23, 25:18).

Photo: Frank Cilius and Ján Súkup

Further information
Find all results of the Round 1 of the EHF Cup here
Find all pairings of the Round 2 of the EHF Cup here