Vipers back to winning ways; Györ stay perfect

• reigning champions, Vipers Kristiansand claimed just their fourth win in 10 EHF Champions League matches this season, beating Krim Mercator Ljubljana
• goalkeeper, Katrine Lunde played a big role in this success, as the 43-year-old veteran stopped 16 shots for a 44 per cent efficiency
• her teammates from the Norway national team, Nora Mørk and Henny Reistad combined for 21 goals against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, enabling Team Esbjerg to extend their winning run to eight matches
• Hungarian powerhouse, Györi Audi ETO KC extended their winning streak to 10 matches, as they narrowly beat Odense Håndbold
• the Danish side, who stay second-placed in Group A with 14 points, dropped their first points at home in this European season
• SG BBM Bietigheim ended a four-game losing run, as they defeated IK Sävehof, who are still without points in the competition      

GROUP A

IK Sävehof (SWE) vs SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) 29:33 (15:14)

The German side, who were determined to end their losing streak, opened up a 5:1 lead early in the match. But, powered by Nina Koppang and Thea Stankiewisz in attack, Sävehof managed to turn the tide and led 15:11 in the 26th minute. Three unanswered goals helped the visitors to cut the deficit to just one goal at the break, but the Swedish team continued to dominate for a while after the restart. It looked like they might even finally gain their first points at the competition, but Bietigheim had more energy left in the last 15 minutes and earned the win to climb provisionally into third place in Group A.

Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) 30:31 (13:15)

This match in Denmark featured the two best-placed teams of Group A, and Györ maintained their perfect record in the competition, winning their tenth straight match. There is hardly any doubt that the Hungarian powerhouse will finish top of the group, and they actually may secure a quarter-final spot this Sunday if CSM are defeated in Brest. Led by former Odense coach, Ulrik Kirkely, Györ were dominant for nearly the entire game, with their lead reaching six goals a few times. However, the home team fought until the end, and behind eight goals each from Maren Aardahl and Mie Højlund, the Danish team cut the deficit to 31:30 in the last minute, but did not have time to do more.

GROUP B

FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN) 28:33 (16:15)

Esbjerg consolidated their lead in the group and are getting closer to clinching a direct quarter-final spot. The match in Budapest was not a walk in the park for the Danish side, as the first 40 minutes of it were very close, and FTC actually led at half-time. But, Esbjerg were the better side towards the end of the encounter, and their Norwegian stars Nora Mørk and Henny Reistad were particularly impressive, ending the game with 11 and 10 goals, respectively. Another Norwegian, Kristine Breistol, Esbjerg's best scorer in the tournament, was less prolific, but her five goals also contributed to the team's success. And, FTC's Andrea Lekic, who led the scoring chart of the competition with 61 goals before the game, surprisingly failed to score, missing on all four of her attempts.

MOTW: Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) 29:23 (14:12)

Vipers were the only team to claim a home win on Saturday, and they did it in style. Katrine Lunde put on an impressive performance, boasting a 44 per cent save rate, while in attack, Jamina Roberts and Anna Vyakhireva scored seven goals each. Meanwhile, Krim were missing Jovanka Radicevic, and while goalkeeper Barbara Arenhart was almost on par with Lunde, saving 15 balls for 36 per cent save efficiency, her effort was not enough. Vipers enjoyed a perfect start, opening a 7:1 lead by the eighth minute, but Krim drew level and even pulled in front at 10:9. However, it was their only lead in the game, as the Norwegian side regained control of the match and were particularly dominant in the last quarter of the match.