Saint-Raphael fend off shock loss 

SKA Minsk claimed their first win in the Men’s EHF Cup Group Phase on Saturday, winning 27:26 at home to Bjerringbro-Silkeborg in Group A.

In Group B, Saint-Raphael Var Handball came back from a seven-goal deficit to avoid a huge upset and beat Lugi 28:26 at home.

• SKA Minsk win got their first win and can still dream of the quarter-finals

• Saint-Raphael still on maximum points in Group B after comeback win against Lugi

• Lugi’s lack of luck has now officially put them out of contention for the quarter-finals

GROUP A

SKA Minsk (BLR) vs Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN) 27:26 (15:14)

After an intense finish, Minsk managed to earn their first win of the group.

The young Minsk team did not have much trouble with the aggressive Danish defence, and the versatile Silkeborg attack also found the back of the net with ease, leading to a high-scoring first half, which saw both sides trade the lead before Minsk edged it 15:14.

Making the most of any Danish mistake, Minsk opened up a five-goal lead during the second half, but the visitors fought back to 25:25 with four minutes left on the clock.

“We made too many mistakes on a difficult away court.

“The positive aspect is that we made a fine comeback and narrowed the defeat down to one goal, which may be of use to us later,” said Silkeborg goalkeeper Søren Rasmussen, referring to the fact that his team hold a head-to-head advantage over Minsk.

Bjerringbro-Silkeborg are still second in the group with four points and Minsk are third with three.

GROUP B

Saint-Raphael Var Handball (FRA) vs Lugi HF (SWE) 28:26 (14:17)

Saint-Raphael earned their fourth straight win, but they had to overcome a shaky first half against their spirited opponents from Lund.

Lugi, who had lost their first three group matches to date, stunned their opponents as well as the home crowd in the Palais des Sport JF Krakowski by leading 16:9 during the first half.

By half-time, the home team managed to cut the gap to three, before flying out of the traps at the beginning of the second half to draw level. Saint-Raphael then took control of the match, but could not rest easy until the final buzzer. 

While Saint-Raphael are top of the group with eight points, Lugi are still without a point and their chances of reaching the quarter-finals are gone.