FTC finally break winless streak; Rapid seal crucial win

• right back, Katrin Klujber shook off an uninspiring start of the seasonto help FTC secure their maiden win of the season with 11 goals, the ninth game in her career scoring in double digits, as the Hungarian side delivered Ikast their first loss, 37:36
• DVSC clinched their largest win in history in the EHF Champions League Women, 31:24, against Brest Bretagne Handball, as well as creating their first-ever two-game winning streak in the top European competition
• right wing, Jovanka Radicevic scored eight goals in Krim’s loss against Rapid, taking her overall tally this season to 29 goals and her overall tally in the EHF Champions League Women to 1098 goals, just two goals shy of becoming the first-ever player to hit the 1100-goal mark
• Esbjerg clinched their largest win of the season, 36:24, against MKS Zaglebie Lubin, the team which has conceded the largest number of goals this season, 215, an average of 35.8 goals per match
• FTC’s backs Andrea Lekic (36 goals) and Katrin Klujber (36 goals) jumped to the second and third places in the top goal scorer standings respectively, with the leader still being Bietigheim’s Karolina Kudlacz-Gloc, with 37 goals

GROUP A

DVSC Schaeffler (HUN) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) 31:24 (15:14)

After their third victory in six matches, a 31:24 win over Brest Bretagne, DVSC can be well considered the surprise package of the season in the EHF Champions League Women.  The victory was their largest in history in the European premium competition and also improves their chances of progression as they have leapfrogged Brest in the standings. Their top scorer, Alexandra Töpfner had seven goals and jumped to third place in the top goal scorer standings of the season, but more importantly the two points offer DVSC a way to the next phase, a huge achievement for a side playing against more experienced opponents.

GROUP B

CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) 27:22 (15:13)

Playing in Mioveni, some 140 kilometres away from Bucharest, Rapid still had a perfect setting with their fans flocking to cheer for them against Krim Mercator Ljubljana, the team which they eliminated in the play-offs last season. In a tough, low-scoring and defence-minded match, Rapid was excellent and dominated their opponents.  Krim was led is scoring by Jovanka Radicevic with eight goals, but the right wing suffered an injury late in the second half.  Rapid has now won two out of the three matches played on their home court and have closed the gap with Krim and other clubs in Group B.

MKS Zaglebie Lubin (POL) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN) 24:36 (14:17)

Esbjerg extended their winning streak to four matches, with a dominating performance against MKS Zaglebie Lubin, 36:24, as backs Michala Møller and Nora Mørk combined for 12 goals. The Danish champions, who have five wins out of six matches, have improved the chances for Danish sides to secure direct quarter-finals berths as both Ikast and Esbjerg are in the top two spots in Group B.  Lubin have, however, lost all of their six matches in the European premium competition and their chances of progression are slimmer and slimmer, as they now have a five-point gap to the sixth place, nearly halfway through the competition.

FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Ikast Handbold (DEN) 37:36 (20:17)

There were turbulent times for FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, after Allen Heine Pedersen replaced Martin Albertsen three weeks ago, as the Hungarian side, the runners-up last season, were still without a win entering the sixth round of the EHF Champions League Women. The matchup against Ikast Handbold did not look good on paper, as the Danish side was one of the three teams winning all their five matches this season, but FTC delivered an outstanding attacking performance, scoring 37 goals, with Katrin Klujber (11 goals) and Andrea Lekic (seven goals) leading the way. Ikast are still the top team in the group, but are now tied on 10 points with Esbjerg, while FTC clinched their maiden win of the season, 37:36, to stay only two points behind rivals Rapid in what proves to be a group full of twists and turns.