Only one EHF European League Men Last 16 ticket remained to be decided in group A ahead of round 9. And while leaders Montpellier and Frisch Auf Göppingen added another win to their record, securing their first two spots along the way, SL Benfica had a harder time.

The Portuguese side is definitely far from last season’s form, as the reigning champions lost a sixth game in nine rounds. They played a thriller against Kadetten Schaffhausen but, at the end of the day, fell short again. But since Presov and Veszprem also failed to take any points, Benfica booked their ticket for the Last 16 and are now certain of finishing fourth in the group.