While the first leg between the two teams was a one-sided affair, with Kielce winning by seven goals at home, the return game in Belarus saw something completely different. On Thursday night, Meshkov Brest earned a confident victory, 35:30.

The Polish side remain tied with Flensburg at the top of the group, after defeating Porto on Tuesday. Meshkov, on the other hand, stay third but are now just four points behind the two leaders. The Belarusian team had suffered their first home defeat of the season last week, against Flensburg, but made amends on Thursday night.

GROUP A
HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) vs Lomza Vive Kielce (POL) 35:30 (15:11)

• helped by their goalkeepers, particularly Ivan Matskevich, Meshkov Brest had the upper hand in the first half – especially in the last 10 minutes before the break, as the team from Belarus cruised to a four-goal lead
• Meshkov’s advantage grew in the second half, thanks to their efficiency at both ends of the court. Their biggest advantage was eight goals in the 52nd minute, as Stas Skube scored his seventh goal – which was enough to earn the Slovenian centre back the top scorer honours
• Kielce had not lost a Champions League game by five goals since the 3/4 placement match at the EHF FINAL4 2019
• thanks to this win, Meshkov Brest moved closer to group leaders Kielce and Flensburg, the two group leaders. The Belarusian side are now four points short of the leading duo

Stas Skube: 300 goals and a masterclass performance

He might have been the smallest player on the court tonight, but Stas Skube was everywhere, giving crazy assists and scoring goals himself. His seventh and last of the game was Skube’s 300th goal in the Champions League – a competition he won in 2019 with Vardar. It is no wonder Brest look like an EHF FINAL4 contender more than ever this season: Skube changed the face of this team and every fan saw how important he is tonight.