Titleholders Vipers end Esbjerg's winning run

• Metz and Esbjerg are now on 18 points, with the French champions securing the top of the group thanks to a better goal difference
• Metz claimed their eighth straight win, this time against bottom-placed MKS Zaglebie Lubin, as 2023 World champion Hatadou Sako did a great job between the posts
• on the other hand, Esbjerg's eight-goal winning run has come to an end, as 11 goals from Jana Knedlikova propelled Vipers to a win against the Danish team
• another Czech player Marketa Jerabkova also shone on Sunday, as her 10 goals, including the last-second winner, lifted Ikast Handball to a hard-fought home win against CS Rapid Bucuresti
• Jerabkova climbed to the third position in the scoring chart of the tournament with a tally of 65 goals, behind two Metz's players - Kristina Jörgensen and Sara Bouktit, who have 68 and 67 goals respectively
• in the only Group A match, CSM Bucuresti proved to be too strong for IK Sävehof climbing to the third position with 13 points

GROUP A

CSM Bucuresti (ROU) vs IK Sävehof (SWE) 35:26 (18:10)

Sävehof have already lost a chance to progress from the group, but they still hope to claim some points before the group stage eventually comes to an end. In Bucharest, the Swedish team took a surprising 3:0 lead before Grace Zaadi scored CSM's first goal nearly eight minutes into the match. From that point on however, it did not take long for the Romanian team to find their rhythm. Evelina Eriksson, notably a Swedish goalkeeper, boasted a 44 per cent save rate in the first half, helping CSM go to the break with an eight-goal lead. After the interval, the hosts further increased the gap, as Vilde Ingstad and Alexandra Dindiligan became their top scorers with seven goals.

GROUP B

Ikast Handbold (DEN) vs CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) 30:29 (16:15)

Both sides were very motivated to win. Ikast are fighting for a top-two finish in the group, while Rapid hope to earn a play-off spot. The game was really exciting and dramatic, and both teams could have won, but it was Ikast who snatched two points thanks to Marketa Jerabkova's 10th goal in the game just four seconds from full-time. Ikast's Andjela Janjusevic scored even more goals than Jerabkova, 11, yet her effort did not ultimately help the team. The Danish team were dominant throughout the first half, but they led by just one goal at the break, and Rapid improved their game in the second half.  Possibly a draw would have been a fair result, but Ikast took a victory and stayed in fight for an early quarter-final spot.

MKS Zaglebie Lubin (POL) vs Metz Handball (FRA) 24:30 (10:15)

The French side were seen as strong favourites in this encounter, but surprisingly, it was Lubin who enjoyed a better start and opened with a 4:2 lead. Metz needed some time to wake up, but towards the end of the first half, they punished the hosts for their multiple mistakes and pulled clear by five goals. The last-placed Polish team tried to fight back in the second half, but Metz had more quality and firmly had the match under their control. Alina Grijseels rose to prominence, ending the game with nine goals, and her teammate Hatadou Sako boasted a 46 per cent save rate, helping the French champions earn their eighth straight victory.

Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) 32:37 (15:21)

The Danish team had won all of their five previous matches on the home court this season, but they failed to extend that run against Vipers, who took revenge for a 38:37 defeat in their premier encounter this season. The titleholders took their second straight victory and climbed to the fourth position in the group. While Esbjerg's Nora Mork netted seven times against her former team, she was overshadowed by Jana Knedlikova, who scored 11 goals for Vipers. Besides, Kathrine Lunde played another superb match, making 14 saves. In the first half, she stopped eight balls for a 44 per cent save rate, and the visitors led by six goals. Midway through second half, Vipers' lead reached 10 goals on a couple of occasions, and all Esbjerg could do was to reduce the gap.