Füchse Berlin in Porto: One win away from the main round

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Füchse Berlin in Porto: One win away from the main round.

40:32 was the scoreline when Füchse Berlin won the first leg against FC Porto on home court – and it is precisely on this cushion that the starting position for the second meeting rests. If Nicolej Krickau's team wins again in Porto on Thursday evening (15 October 2026, 20:45), the EHF Champions League main round is practically booked two matchdays before the end of the group stage. In the chaser duel of matchday 4 in Group A, the Berlin side are fighting for second place behind leaders KC Veszprém – the Portuguese for survival in the competition.

What an away win would mathematically mean

After three matches played, the Füchse sit second in the table behind Veszprém: four points in second place, FC Porto follows with two points in third. RK Partizan are distantly last and have only theoretical chances of progressing. With a second win against Porto, the Berlin side would not only pick up two more points but also clearly win the head-to-head with the Portuguese – who could then no longer overtake the Berliners. The pressure therefore clearly lies with the hosts around Carlos Martingo, who are condemned to win if the main round is to still work out.

Why Porto is under pressure

In the Portuguese domestic league, FC Porto are unbeaten after seven matches and trail league leaders Sporting CP only on goal difference. Things have gone considerably less smoothly on the highest European stage for Martingo's team so far: in addition to the 28:36 defeat against KC Veszprém, there is the 32:40 thrashing from the first leg against Berlin. The hosts must therefore deliver if the dream of the main round is not to burst before the final group matchday.

How dominant Berlin were in the first leg

The first meeting a week ago was a clear affair – mainly because of Mathias Gidsel. The Dane sank 17 of his 19 shots and was thus the outstanding performer of the match. The Portuguese did hold their own with a solid team performance but failed due to their lack of efficiency: just 41 percent of their attacking attempts found the back of the Berlin net. The fact that both teams can go at a high tempo for the full 60 minutes means the return leg, from a Berlin perspective, is not a foregone conclusion despite the comfortable cushion.

What the live ticker reveals from the first half

Currently the Füchse trail 15:17 in the first half – playing in black and with possession. Notably: in just the first 27 minutes, the officials have already handed out five time penalties. For Berlin, it hit Mathias Gidsel (24th minute) and Mijajlo Marsenić (27th minute), for the Portuguese Ricardo Caldeira Brandão (7th minute), Miguel Oliveira (12th minute, after grabbing Gidsel's face) and Daymaro Salina (26th minute, after a hard tackle). Leonel Fernandes (6th minute) and Porto coach Martingo himself (22nd minute, after loud protests from the bench) also received yellow cards. On the Berlin side, Matthes Langhoff stands out, repeatedly hitting from distance, as well as Tim Freihöfer, who converts ice cold from the left wing – including with a seven-metre throw into the top left corner. For Porto, Leonel Fernandes shines, beating Lasse Ludwig twice within 80 seconds and equalising to 5:5 in the 7th minute. About five minutes before the half-time whistle, the Füchse also changed goalkeepers: Andreas Palicka came on for Lasse Ludwig, but was immediately beaten by Rui Silva.

How to follow the match live

Anyone who wants to follow the match live has two options: the streaming service Dyn will show the match in a live stream, while sportschau.de will accompany the evening with a detailed live ticker including goals, statistics and the standings.