The last time Sporting CP beat Montpellier HB in the history of European competitions was in the EHF Cup in 1996, and 27 years later, this streak still has not to come to an end as the two sides ended with a 32:32 draw in the first leg of the EHF European League Men quarter-finals.

With 10 minutes left to play it looked as though it would, with the Portuguese side was ahead by three. At that point, Montpellier were clearly struggling offensively, turning balls over for Sporting to score easy shots. But the locals did not manage to retain their advantage and it was only thanks to a last-second goal by Francisco Tavares that they will travel to Montpellier next Tuesday level on the aggregate scoreboard.