In the EHF European League, SG Flensburg-Handewitt managed a narrow defeat in Montpellier with a decimated squad. A result that at least secured second place in the main round. The sound bites.
Aleš Pajović, SG Coach: "I'm satisfied with many phases. Above all, the team fought. The tempo was right in the first 20 minutes. We scored a lot of goals. We could have done a bit better in defense. The last five minutes before the break were not good. But they were also normal when you have a lot of injuries. Montpellier pulled away a bit in the second half. But my team fought well, especially in crunch time. It was important that we didn't lose by more than four goals. It wasn't enough to win, but I'm happy with the boys. They gave their all."
Érick Mathé, MHB coach: "I thought our start to the game was a bit strange. We stood well, but Flensburg had it too easy in attack. We had to strengthen our defense, which we did in the first 15 minutes of the second half. A few substitutions helped us. The only small disappointment is that we couldn't use the six-point lead to reclaim second place. But we're not complaining: beating a top European club and qualifying for the round of 16 is fantastic."