Defending champions SC Magdeburg are still without a point in the Champions League and on course for the quarter-finals. The Green and Reds won 40:32 (19:13) against Hungary's handball runners-up Szeged in front of 5,886 spectators. Magdeburg's top scorer was Gisli Kristjansson with six goals. After the winter and European Championship break, the top flight resumes on February 18.
Magdeburg did not get off to a good start, trailing early on and scoring for the first time in the 5th minute (1:3). The visitors gradually worked their way into the game and eventually equalized (4:4/10th minute). Former SCM goalkeeper Tobias Thulin proved to be a good back-up for the visitors, but Magdeburg's Matej Mandic also made a total of eleven saves. SCM went on a 4:0 run to open up a three-goal gap (8:5/14') and doubled its lead by the break.
The teams stepped up the pace at the start of the second half - Magdeburg led by seven, but Szeged reduced the deficit to five goals again (21:16/33'). The Hungarians lost momentum when they were short-handed, SCM pulled nine goals ahead and the visitors called a timeout (26:17/38). That briefly put the brakes on Magdeburg's attacking momentum, but Szeged was no longer able to turn the game around.
