Sävehof won their last European game in the EHF Champions League Men in November 2019, but did not have to wait to break the ice in their comeback in international competitions, sealing a 43:31 win against BM Logroño La Rioja in their EHF European League Men debut.

GROUP C

IK Sävehof (SWE) vs BM Logroño La Rioja (ESP) 43:31 (23:16)

• Sävehof had scored more than 23 goals in a first half of a game in European competitions only once, a 25-goal outburst against PGU-Kartina TV Tiraspol, in the 2013/14 Men’s EHF Challenge Cup
• in his debut for Sävehof in Europe, 19-year-old centre back Elias Ellefsen a Skipagotu had a super game, with eight goals, but the Swedish side’s top scorer was right back Gzim Salihi, with nine goals
• the Swedish side boasted an otherworldly 78% shooting efficiency, with their attack carrying the load in their straightforward win
• Logroño had never conceded more than 39 goals in a European competition prior to today’s game, against HC Motor Zaporozhye in the EHF Champions League Men’s 2015/16 season
• since the introduction of the new EHF European League Men last season, only one team, Austrian side Aon Fivers, scored more goals in a game (45) than Sävehof did tonight

Strong attack highlights Sävehof’s strength

Sävehof boast the youngest average age in the EHF European League Men: 21.8 years old, but they did not look inexperienced at all in their comeback in European handball. In fact, the Swedish side had their second-best attacking outing ever in European competition, putting 43 goals past BM Logroño La Rioja, who really looked out of their depth.

Provided they keep the same rhythm, Sävehof could surely be a dark horse and a team to watch in the competition, with their free-flowing attack difficult to stop. It was also the Swedish champions’ biggest win in European competitions since a 41:26 drubbing of Belarussian side HC Victory Regia Minsk, in the 2013/14 Men’s EHF Challenge Cup in February 2014.