EHF Champions League Round of 16 is behind us which means we now have only eight more teams left fighting for the European crown and we're proud to say SEHA - Gazprom League still has two of its representatives aiming for the European throne in Cologne – Telekom Veszprem and Meshkov Brest. Without further ado, let's get started with eighth-finals recap!

As you know, eighth-finals hosted two direct encounters between SEHA - Gazprom League teams. In the first Telekom Veszprem were dominant against Macedonian Vardar 1961. Huge +14 in the first match in Skopje and then +9 in the second leg for the Hungarians who seem to have everything in place to make it all the way this season. Ivan Cupic once again proved that for him age is nothing but a number delivering two great outings scoring 14 goals in two matches. Coach Davis on the other side rotated the team much more, especially in the second game after that remarkable first-leg victory in Macedonian capital and it seemed like everyone responded in a perfect manner. We can highlight goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales and his 20 saves in two matches, Gasper Marguc and his eight goals from the first match as well as Andreas Nilsson who went 6/7 in the second. Great team performance from reigning SEHA - Gazprom League champions who will face off with French Nantes in the quarter-finals. Nantes surprised everyone taking a three-goal win on the road against favored Polish Vive Kielce, especially after a one-goal loss they suffered at home in the first leg.

In the second SEHA - Gazprom League duel, Meshkov Brest managed to deliver one of their best Champions League outings of the season to help them secure quarter-final spot for the first time in the history. However, let's go step by step. In the first match played in Ukraine Motor Zaporozhye delivered a solid performance led by one of the best Champions League playmakers of the season Aidenas Malasinskas and his seven goals taking a two-goal lead ahead of the second leg in Brest. Everything was, however, perfectly clear after the first half in Belarus in which hosts managed to open the gap to eight goals (16:8) flying on wings of Mikita Vailupau and Stas Skube. Ivan Pesic finished the match with 11 saves, Vailupau scored eight – one less than Baranau in the first match and Skube added six for a big celebration of a historic success in Brest. Meshkov will fight to keep their dreams alive and secure a Final 4 spot in Cologne against one of the main favorites to go all the way this season, goal-scoring machine, Spanish Barca which was, in the Round of 16, with 76:44 in two matches better than Norwegian Elverum.

Fifth SEHA - Gazprom League representative in the Round of 16 PPD Zagreb was scheduled to play against German Flensburg, however EHF decided to call off the tie with Flensburg advancing through to QF.

First quarter-final legs are scheduled for May 12 and here are the matchups:

THW Kiel – Paris Saint-Germain Handball

Aalborg Handbold – SC Flensburg-Handewitt

MESHKOV BREST – Barca

HBC Nantes – TELEKOM VESZPREM